BA9 distance and great-circle path
BA9 covers 9,577 km, or 5,951 miles. That makes it an ultra-long-haul flight, near the limit of what most twinjets can fly non-stop. Of the 439 routes we track, it ranks 88 by distance.
The plane leaves London heading east. On the map above, the line looks curved. That is normal. The shortest path over a round planet never looks straight on a flat screen. Our guide explains how the LHR-BKK route appears on a tracker map.
Why BA9 block time differs from cruise time
The schedule allows 12.8 hours from gate to gate. That works out to about 751 km/h. A Boeing 787-9 cruises faster than that. The gap is taxi time, climbing, descending and holding.
Flying east, this route usually picks up tailwinds high up. The flight back west normally takes longer, even though the distance is identical. See how timing changes the trip in our red-eye flight guide.
Can the Boeing 787-9 comfortably fly BA9?
Not really. It uses about 68% of the Boeing 787-9's range. That leaves room for a full load of passengers and bags. The full numbers are on our aircraft page for the Boeing 787-9.
What to know about BA9
- Time change: you land 7 hours ahead of the time you left. That is enough to cause jet lag. Here is how pilots handle it.