Riyadh to Los Angeles
16h 55mgate to gate
The flight from King Khalid International Airport (RUH) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) covers 13,279 km (8,251 miles) and takes approximately 16h 55m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north on an initial great-circle bearing of 346°, passing near 76.4° N, 17.1° W at its midpoint.
Bearing 346° north Midpoint 76.4° N, 17.1° W 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: 13,279 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 16h 30m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 16h 55m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
13,279 km / 805 km/h = 16h 30m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 16h 55m 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 | 24h 09m | 24h 34m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 17h 01m | 17h 27m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 14h 45m | 15h 10m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 15h 37m | 16h 03m |
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
| RUH | LAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | King Khalid International Airport | Los Angeles International Airport |
| City | Riyadh | Los Angeles |
| Country | Saudi Arabia | United States |
| ICAO | OERK | KLAX |
| Coordinates | 24.9576, 46.6988 | 33.9425, -118.408 |
| Elevation | 2,049 ft | 125 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 Riyadh to Los Angeles?
A non-stop flight from Riyadh (RUH) to Los Angeles (LAX) takes about 16h 55m. The great-circle distance is 13,279 km (8,251 miles, 7,170 nautical miles), flying north on an initial bearing of 346°.
How far is Riyadh from Los Angeles?
13,279 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 8,251 miles or 7,170 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 RUH and LAX?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 13,279 km the route is within reach of long-range widebodies, though not every city pair is served non-stop. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 16h 55m 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.
