Airport Distance Calculator

The airport distance calculator measures the distance between the airports on your route. Type two to ten airports by ICAO or IATA code, or by name, and the calculator adds up the legs. Each leg is the great-circle distance, the shortest line over the surface of the Earth between the two airport positions.

The result shows the total in nautical miles, statute miles and kilometres, the number of legs, and a table with each leg and its initial true course. Add a cruise speed to see the total flight time. The time covers only the cruise distance, so taxi, climb and approach are not included. Use the result as a planning figure for the route, not as the exact distance you will fly.

How to use the airport distance calculator

1. Enter the first airport in the first row. Type an ICAO code such as KJFK, an IATA code or part of the airport name, then pick the airport from the list.
2. Select Add an airport to add a row for each stop. The tool accepts up to 10 airports, and the x on a row removes it.
3. Check the airports in order. The legs run from the first row to the last, so one wrong row changes two legs.
4. Enter the Cruise speed (kt) if you want a flight time. Leave it empty to see the distance only.
5. Enter the Headwind (+) or tailwind (-) in knots. Enter a headwind as a positive number and a tailwind as a negative number.
6. Read the total distance in nm, the total flight time in hours and minutes, and the table with nautical miles, statute miles, kilometres, initial true course and time for each leg.
7. Use the presets for New York, London, Paris or Frankfurt, or for Seattle, Portland, San Francisco or Los Angeles, to load a sample route. Select Print / save result for a sheet with the date, Copy link to keep the route in the address, or Reset to clear the rows and start again.

How is the distance between two airports calculated?

The calculator takes the latitude and longitude of each airport and applies the haversine formula, which gives the great-circle distance on a sphere. The Earth is modelled with a mean radius of 6,371.0088 km. The route total is the sum of all legs.

Each leg is computed on its own. KJFK to EGLL is 2,991.3 nm, 3,442.3 sm or 5,539.8 km, on an initial course of 051. EGLL to LFPG is 187.7 nm, 216.0 sm or 347.6 km, on an initial course of 141. Added together, the route from KJFK to LFPG is 3,179.0 nm, 3,658.3 sm or 5,887.4 km.

What is the difference between nautical miles, statute miles and kilometres?

A nautical mile is 1,852 m, the international definition, which is 1.852 km. A statute mile is 1,609.344 m. One nautical mile equals 1.1508 statute miles. Aviation uses nautical miles because they match the speed unit, knots, so a distance in nm divides directly by a speed in kt.

For the example route, 3,179.0 nm at a cruise speed of 150 kt takes 3,179.0 / 150 = 21.19 hours, shown as 21:12. The same route in statute miles or kilometres would need a speed in mph or km/h before the time works out.

Why is the initial course different from the final course?

The tool shows the initial true course, the heading at the start of each leg. A great circle is a curved path on the globe, so the heading changes along the leg. The course at the arrival airport differs from the course at the departure airport on most legs.

The 051 course for KJFK to EGLL is the starting value, not a heading to hold for the whole flight.

Why is the real flight longer than the calculated distance?

The calculated figure is a straight line between two airport positions on the globe. A real flight follows airways, departure and arrival procedures and clearances, and winds move the aircraft off the line. The time figure also leaves out taxi, climb and approach, so the time on the clock is longer than the cruise time shown.

Sources

Distances use the haversine great-circle formula with a mean Earth radius of 6,371.0088 km. Airport coordinates come from OurAirports data, public domain, downloaded 2026-10-25. The nautical mile follows the international definition of 1,852 m. Checked October 2026.

Questions from readers

Which airports are included?

The tool covers more than 15,000 airports with an ICAO or IATA code in the OurAirports data. This includes small airfields as well as large international airports. If an airport does not appear, try its ICAO code or part of its name.

Is the distance the same as the route flown?

No. The figure is a great-circle distance, a straight line on the globe. The route flown follows air traffic routing and winds, so it is usually longer.

Can I enter a place that is not an airport?

No. Each row needs an airport from the list, so enter the nearest airport with a code.

How many airports can I add?

You can add up to 10 airports, which gives up to 9 legs. Use the x on a row to remove an airport you do not need.

How do I convert nm to miles?

Multiply nautical miles by 1.1508 to get statute miles. For kilometres, multiply nautical miles by 1.852. The tool shows all three units in the result.

What is the course shown?

The course shown is the initial true course, the heading at the start of each leg. It is measured from true north and changes along the leg. To find the heading to fly in a wind, use the wind correction angle calculator with this course.

Related tools

• Wind navigation tools: use it to find the other tools for wind, speed and heading on a route.
• Flight time calculator: use it for the time between two airports, with taxi, wind and block time.
• E6B flight computer: use it for unit conversions and time, speed and distance in one place.
• Wind correction angle calculator: use it to find the heading to fly for each leg in a wind.
• Crosswind calculator: use it to split a wind into crosswind and headwind components at the runway.
• True airspeed calculator: use it to turn indicated airspeed into true airspeed for the cruise speed.
• Density altitude calculator: use it to check how temperature and altitude affect performance at an airport.
• Pilot logbook template: use it to record the flights and times from your planned route.