Nonstop flight route between London, England, United Kingdom and Cape Town, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from LHR to CPT:
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- About this route
- LHR Airport Information
- CPT Airport Information
- Facts about LHR
- Facts about CPT
- Map of Nearest Airports to LHR
- List of Nearest Airports to LHR
- Map of Furthest Airports from LHR
- List of Furthest Airports from LHR
- Map of Nearest Airports to CPT
- List of Nearest Airports to CPT
- Map of Furthest Airports from CPT
- List of Furthest Airports from CPT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London, England, United Kingdom and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), Cape Town, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,016 miles (or 9,682 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between London Heathrow Airport and Cape Town International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.
Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between London Heathrow Airport and Cape Town International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | LHR / EGLL |
Airport Name: | London Heathrow Airport |
Location: | London, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°28'38"N by 0°27'41"W |
Area Served: | London, United Kingdom |
Operator/Owner: | Heathrow Airport Holdings |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 83 feet (25 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from LHR |
More Information: | LHR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CPT / FACT |
Airport Name: | Cape Town International Airport |
Location: | Cape Town, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°58'9"S by 18°35'49"E |
Area Served: | Cape Town |
Operator/Owner: | Airports Company South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 151 feet (46 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from CPT |
More Information: | CPT Maps & Info |
Facts about London Heathrow Airport (LHR):
- Terminal 3 opened as The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes.
- The airport is owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings, which also owns and operates three other UK airports, and is itself owned by FGP TopCo Limited, an international consortium led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group that includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.
- Until 2008, air traffic between Heathrow and the United States was strictly governed by the countries' bilateral Bermuda II treaty.
- The closest airport to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is RAF Northolt (NHT), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) NNE of LHR.
- London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,875 miles (19,112 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Because of London Heathrow Airport's relatively low elevation of 83 feet, planes can take off or land at London Heathrow Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
Facts about Cape Town International Airport (CPT):
- Retail outlets are located on the lower level of the terminal at landside, as well as airside at the departure gates.
- Because of Cape Town International Airport's relatively low elevation of 151 feet, planes can take off or land at Cape Town International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- Cape Town International Airport (CPT) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,616 miles (18,693 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
- There is no direct rail access to Cape Town International Airport.
- Cape Town International Airport handled 8,505,563 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 217 miles (349 kilometers) E of CPT.
- Apart from completion of the 2010 expansion project, it has been proposed that a second runway for large aircraft be constructed at Cape Town International Airport.