San Francisco to Dubai
16h 36mgate to gate
The flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) covers 13,020 km (8,090 miles) and takes approximately 16h 36m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north on an initial great-circle bearing of 2°, passing near 83.6° N, 40.0° E at its midpoint.
Bearing 2° north Midpoint 83.6° N, 40.0° 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: 13,020 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 16h 10m.
- 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 36m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
13,020 km / 805 km/h = 16h 10m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 16h 36m 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 | 23h 40m | 24h 06m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 16h 42m | 17h 07m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 14h 28m | 14h 53m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 15h 19m | 15h 44m |
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
| SFO | DXB | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | San Francisco International Airport | Dubai International Airport |
| City | San Francisco | Dubai |
| Country | United States | United Arab Emirates |
| ICAO | KSFO | OMDB |
| Coordinates | 37.6198, -122.3748 | 25.2498, 55.371 |
| Elevation | 13 ft | 62 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 San Francisco to Dubai?
A non-stop flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Dubai (DXB) takes about 16h 36m. The great-circle distance is 13,020 km (8,090 miles, 7,030 nautical miles), flying north on an initial bearing of 2°.
How far is San Francisco from Dubai?
13,020 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 8,090 miles or 7,030 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 SFO and DXB?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 13,020 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 36m 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.
