Flight Time Calculator
Work out the flight time between two airports from cruise speed, wind and extra minutes, or the block time between a departure and an arrival clock time.
Free · runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
The flight time calculator estimates how long a flight takes between two airports, or turns two clock times into block time. Pick the airports, enter a cruise speed in knots and a headwind or tailwind, and the tool gives the total time in h:mm, the great-circle distance in nautical miles and the arrival time in UTC when you enter a departure.
The second tab takes a departure and an arrival time, each with its own UTC offset, and gives the elapsed time in h:mm, in tenths of an hour and in exact decimal hours. Everything is converted to UTC first, so a flight across time zones gives the elapsed time. The distance is the great-circle distance, so a real flight is longer. Use the headwind and extra time fields to account for the difference. Three presets load sample routes.
How to use the flight time calculator
- Choose the Between two airports tab. Enter the From airport and To airport as an ICAO or IATA code, or type the name and pick it from the list.
- Enter the Cruise speed in knots. Use the true airspeed, which is the ground speed in still air.
- Enter the Headwind (+) or tailwind (-) in knots. A headwind is positive and a tailwind is negative, so a 20 knot tailwind is -20.
- Enter the Extra time for taxi, climb and approach in minutes. The tool adds only the minutes you type here.
- Optionally enter the departure date and time in UTC. With a departure entered, the result shows the arrival date and time in UTC.
- Read the total flight time in h:mm, the great-circle distance in nm, the statute miles and kilometres, the initial true course, the ground speed and the time in cruise.
- For a block time from a logbook, switch to the Block time from clock times tab. Enter the Departure date and Departure time, set the Departure clock is set to offset, then enter the Arrival time and the Arrival clock offset. Leave Arrival date empty to use the departure date, or the next day when the arrival time is earlier. Read the flight time in h:mm, in tenths and in exact decimal hours.
How do you calculate flight time?
Divide the distance by the ground speed, then add the extra time. Ground speed is the cruise speed minus the headwind, or plus the tailwind. For KJFK to EGLL at 450 knots with no wind, the distance is 2,991.3 nm, so the time in cruise is 2,991.3 / 450 x 60 = 398.8 minutes. Add 20 minutes for taxi, climb and approach and the total is 418.8 minutes, or 6:59.
The distance is the shortest path on a sphere, using a mean Earth radius of 6,371.0088 km. A real flight is longer because of routing, departure and arrival procedures and winds. Enter those effects in the headwind and extra time fields.
How do you convert minutes to tenths of an hour for a logbook?
Divide the minutes by 60 and round to one decimal place. Each 6 minutes adds 0.1 hour, so 1 to 2 minutes is 0.0, 3 to 8 minutes is 0.1 and 15 to 20 minutes is 0.3. A time exactly halfway rounds up. For 14:05 to 15:50 the time is 105 minutes, or 1:45, which is 1.750 hours exactly and 1.8 in tenths. To go from decimal hours back to hours and minutes, multiply the part after the decimal point by 60: 1.75 hours is 1 hour and 45 minutes.
For 23:30 to 01:10 with the arrival date left empty, the time is 100 minutes, or 1.667 hours, which rounds to 1.7. 14 CFR 61.51 requires logging flight time but sets no rounding rule. If your instructor, school or operator uses another method, use the unrounded minutes.
How do you calculate flight time across time zones?
Convert both clock times to UTC first, then subtract. Each clock is set to its own UTC offset, so the result is elapsed time. Subtracting the clock faces directly gives the wrong answer. Daylight saving time must be reflected in the offset you pick.
For a departure at 08:00 at UTC-05:00, the time is 13:00 UTC. An arrival at 20:00 at UTC+00:00 is 20:00 UTC. The difference is 420 minutes, or 7:00, which is 7.0 hours.
How far is a 20 minute flight?
Multiply the ground speed by 20 and divide by 60. At 450 knots a 20 minute flight covers 150 nm. At 110 knots it covers about 36.7 nm. A headwind reduces the distance covered in that time, and a tailwind increases it.
Sources
Distance uses the great-circle (haversine) formula on a sphere with mean Earth radius 6,371.0088 km, where 1 nm = 1.852 km. Airport data comes from OurAirports, public domain, downloaded 2026-10-25. Logging follows 14 CFR 61.51, checked in the eCFR text 2026-10-25. Checked October 2026.
Questions from readers
How accurate is the time between airports?
It is an estimate. The distance is the shortest path on a sphere, and a real flight is longer because of routing, procedures and winds. Enter those effects in the headwind and extra time fields.
Does the time include taxi and climb?
Only what you enter. The tool adds the extra minutes you type for taxi, climb and approach, and nothing else.
Which speed do I enter?
Enter the cruise speed in knots as true airspeed, which is the ground speed in still air. The tool then subtracts a headwind or adds a tailwind.
Why does the arrival time show UTC?
The tool converts all times to UTC before it calculates, so the result is elapsed time rather than a clock difference. The arrival is shown in UTC to match that calculation.
What if the arrival is on the next day?
Leave the arrival date empty on the clock times tab. If the arrival time is earlier than the departure time, the tool uses the next day and says so. For 23:30 to 01:10 the result is 1:40.
How do I log fractions of an hour?
Logbooks traditionally record time in tenths of an hour, and the tool shows that value. For example, 1:40 is 1.7 in tenths. Check the rounding with your instructor, school or operator, because the regulation sets no rounding method.
Related tools
- Wind navigation tools: use it to find the other calculators for wind and navigation in one place.
- Airport distance calculator: use it to add up the distance for a multi-leg route.
- E6B flight computer: use it to solve time, speed, distance and fuel together.
- Wind correction angle calculator: use it to find the ground speed and heading for a wind en route.
- True airspeed calculator: use it to convert indicated speed to the true airspeed you enter as cruise speed.
- Zulu time converter: use it to convert between UTC and local time.
- Night time calculator: use it to work out the night portion of a flight.
- Pilot logbook template: use it to see where each flight time goes in your log.
- Crosswind calculator: use it to split a wind into crosswind and headwind components for the runway.