Actual flight paths – choose your route

Airlines around the world work hard to make their flights as efficient as possible, shortening the time and distance of flights whenever it is possible. But sometimes there are outer circumstances affecting the aviation industry. For instance, conflicts between countries cause airspaces to be both closed and avoided (such as in Russia/Ukraine and the Middle East). This means that many airlines have actual flight paths that are a lot longer than the shortest distance available.

There are also a number of other things that affect the actual length of flights. For example certain flight corridors might limit the possibilities, and even the weather can affect the paths taken.

Listed below you find a top list of the routes where the difference in length between the actual flight path and the shortest flight path is the largest (in percent).

The list is compiled from Flightpaths.com and was last updated in July 2024.

See also

• Airlines who still use Russian airspace – full list
• Increased CO2 emissions after Russia/Ukraine conflict