Flight time from London to Istanbul

How long is the flight from London to Istanbul?

A non-stop flight from London to Istanbul takes about 3 hours and 35 minutes. The two cities are 2,488 km (1,546 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between Heathrow (LHR) and Istanbul Airport (IST).

The estimate assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, route and winds – heading east with the jet stream, flights are often a little quicker than this. Check your booking for the exact time.

Time difference and arrival time

Istanbul is 3 hours ahead of London right now. A flight leaving London at 10:00 local time lands at about 16:35 local time in Istanbul. With a 3h shift, expect some jet lag: as a rough guide the body adjusts by about an hour a day, and flying east (as on this trip) is usually harder than the other way.

Current time in London · Current time in Istanbul · London and Istanbul time difference · Flight time from Istanbul to London

More flights from London

• London to Paris 1h
• London to Amsterdam 1h
• London to Dublin 1h 10m
• London to Frankfurt 1h 20m
• London to Berlin 1h 45m
• London to Barcelona 2h
• London to Singapore 13h 40m
• London to Buenos Aires 14h
• London to Jakarta 14h 40m
• London to Bali 15h 40m

More flights from Istanbul

• Istanbul to Athens 1h 15m
• Istanbul to Cairo 2h 5m
• Istanbul to Rome 2h 15m
• Istanbul to Berlin 2h 35m
• Istanbul to Moscow 2h 40m
• Istanbul to Frankfurt 2h 50m
• Istanbul to Mexico City 14h 20m
• Istanbul to Buenos Aires 15h 20m
• Istanbul to Melbourne 18h 15m
• Istanbul to Sydney 18h 35m

Why arrival times look strange

Airline schedules always show local times: departure in the departure city’s time and arrival in the arrival city’s time. Fly east and you “lose” hours – a 7-hour flight from New York to London leaving at 19:00 lands at 07:00 the next morning. Fly west and you gain them, which is how you can land in Los Angeles almost at the same clock time you left Tokyo. This calculator handles the time zones and daylight saving time for you.

How the flight time estimate works

In estimate mode the calculator measures the great-circle distance between the two cities – the shortest route over the Earth’s surface – and assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h (515 mph), plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. That gives a good guide for a non-stop flight. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, winds and route: flights heading east with the jet stream are often quicker than the same trip heading west, so always check your booking for the exact time.