London to Queenstown
23h 57mgate to gate
The flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Queenstown Airport (ZQN) covers 18,943 km (11,771 miles) and takes approximately 23h 57m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north-east on an initial great-circle bearing of 52°, passing near 26.5° N, 117.9° E at its midpoint.
Bearing 52° north-east Midpoint 26.5° N, 117.9° 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: 18,943 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 23h 32m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 23h 57m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
18,943 km / 805 km/h = 23h 32m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 23h 57m 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 | 34h 27m | 34h 52m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 24h 17m | 24h 42m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 21h 03m | 21h 28m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 22h 17m | 22h 42m |
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
| LHR | ZQN | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | London Heathrow Airport | Queenstown Airport |
| City | London | Queenstown |
| Country | United Kingdom | New Zealand |
| ICAO | EGLL | NZQN |
| Coordinates | 51.4707, -0.4599 | -45.0192, 168.7464 |
| Elevation | 83 ft | 1,171 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 Queenstown?
A non-stop flight from London (LHR) to Queenstown (ZQN) takes about 23h 57m. The great-circle distance is 18,943 km (11,771 miles, 10,228 nautical miles), flying north-east on an initial bearing of 52°.
How far is London from Queenstown?
18,943 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 11,771 miles or 10,228 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 LHR and ZQN?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 18,943 km the route is at the extreme end of what any airliner can fly non-stop, so a connection is likely. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 23h 57m 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.
