ET500 distance and great-circle path
ET500 covers 11,229 km, or 6,978 miles. That makes it an ultra-long-haul flight, near the limit of what most twinjets can fly non-stop. Of the 255 routes we track, it ranks 39 by distance.
The plane leaves Addis Ababa heading north-west. 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 ADD–EWR route appears on a tracker map.
Why ET500 block time differs from cruise time
The schedule allows 15.5 hours from gate to gate. That works out to about 724 km/h. An Airbus A350-900 cruises faster than that. The gap is taxi time, climbing, descending and holding.
Flying west, this route pushes against the wind. The trip back east is usually shorter, even though the distance is the same. See how timing changes the trip in our red-eye flight guide.
Can the Airbus A350-900 comfortably fly ET500?
Not really. It uses about 75% of the Airbus A350-900's range. That leaves room for a full load of passengers and bags. The full numbers are on our aircraft page for the Airbus A350-900.
What to know about ET500
- Time change: you land 7 hours behind the time you left. That is enough to cause jet lag. Here is how pilots handle it.
- High airport at the start: ADD sits 7,656 ft up. Thin air means a longer takeoff run.