London to Beijing
10h 34mgate to gate
The flight from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) covers 8,166 km (5,074 miles) and takes approximately 10h 34m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north-east on an initial great-circle bearing of 45°, passing near 62.5° N, 67.3° E at its midpoint.
Bearing 45° north-east Midpoint 62.5° N, 67.3° E Model 805 km/h + 25 min
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take both airports' published coordinates from OurAirports — nothing here is scraped from another flight site.
- Great-circle distance by haversine on a mean earth radius of 6,371.0088 km: 8,166 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 10h 09m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 10h 34m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
8,166 km / 805 km/h = 10h 09m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 10h 34m gate to gate
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same route, plotted on a world grid
The strip above gives the route its length and its shape. This gives it a position: latitude and longitude only, no coastlines, because a hand-drawn coastline would be decoration pretending to be data. On a flat grid the shortest path looks bent; on a globe it is straight.
Flight time at different cruise speeds
Aircraft type, winds and routing all move the real number. This is the same distance flown at different speeds, plus the 25-minute ground and climb allowance.
| Typical of | Cruise speed | Airborne | Gate to gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop / regional | 550 km/h | 14h 51m | 15h 16m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 10h 28m | 10h 53m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 9h 04m | 9h 30m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 9h 36m | 10h 02m |
Headwinds on an eastbound long-haul routinely add 30–60 minutes; the same route westbound can be quicker. Airlines publish schedules with padding built in.
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Both airports
| LGW | PEK | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | London Gatwick Airport | Beijing Capital International Airport |
| City | London | Beijing |
| Country | United Kingdom | China |
| ICAO | EGKK | ZBAA |
| Coordinates | 51.1487, -0.1857 | 40.0773, 116.5967 |
| Elevation | 202 ft | 116 ft |
Every figure on this plate is geometry. The shape of the earth is knowable; the airline's schedule is not.
Questions this plate answers
How long is the flight from London to Beijing?
A non-stop flight from London (LGW) to Beijing (PEK) takes about 10h 34m. The great-circle distance is 8,166 km (5,074 miles, 4,409 nautical miles), flying north-east on an initial bearing of 45°.
How far is London from Beijing?
8,166 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 5,074 miles or 4,409 nautical miles. Actual flown distance is usually 2–5% longer because aircraft follow airways, avoid weather and route around restricted airspace.
Is there a non-stop flight between LGW and PEK?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 8,166 km the route is comfortably within range of a non-stop service if an airline chooses to fly it. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 10h 34m flight?
Anything past six hours is a long-haul flight: expect at least one meal service, a significant time-zone shift, and enough sitting that circulation and hydration start to matter. Cabin altitude, dry air and disrupted sleep do more damage to a training routine than the flight itself.
Airport coordinates from OurAirports (public domain). Distance is a great-circle calculation; flight time uses the model described on the method page. Flight times are great-circle estimates for planning only — always check the airline's published schedule.
