Flight time from San Francisco to Istanbul

How long is the flight from San Francisco to Istanbul?

A non-stop flight from San Francisco to Istanbul takes about 13 hours and 35 minutes. The two cities are 10,765 km (6,689 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between San Francisco International (SFO) and Istanbul Airport (IST).

This is a long-haul route. If there is no direct flight on your dates, a connection through a hub usually adds 2–6 hours to the journey.

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 11 hours ahead of San Francisco right now. A flight leaving San Francisco at 10:00 local time lands at about 10:35 local time in Istanbul the next day. With a 11h 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 San Francisco · Current time in Istanbul · Flight time from Istanbul to San Francisco

More flights from San Francisco

• San Francisco to Los Angeles 1h 15m
• San Francisco to Vancouver 2h 10m
• San Francisco to Chicago 4h 10m
• San Francisco to Mexico City 4h 15m
• San Francisco to Toronto 4h 55m
• San Francisco to Cancún 5h 15m
• San Francisco to Singapore 16h 55m
• San Francisco to Kuala Lumpur 17h
• San Francisco to Jakarta 17h 25m
• San Francisco to Nairobi 19h 10m

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.