- Flight
- about 5 to 5.5 hours northbound
- Departs
- Cairo International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 2 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Cairo to London is about five hours, and London is two hours behind. EgyptAir flies it around three times a day and British Airways twice, so there is more choice of departure time than on most routes of this length.
Pick your arrival
The first EgyptAir departure leaves Cairo at about half past four in the morning and the last British Airways flight at about ten to seven in the evening. That spread is unusual and useful. The early flight gives you a full London day at the cost of a brutal start. The evening flight lands late and gives you a clean first morning instead.
Five hours and two of clock
Egypt brought back daylight saving in 2023, so both countries now shift their clocks, though not on the same dates. The practical answer is two hours for most of the year. It is small enough to ignore.
The visa is the slow part
An Egyptian passport needs a Standard Visitor visa for the United Kingdom. Allow proper time for it and do not book an unchangeable ticket first. The flight is the easy part of this trip; the paperwork is not.
What applies in England and Wales
The law here is not the law at home and it is worth knowing rather than guessing. Paying another adult for sex, in private, is not an offence in England and Wales. Running premises, soliciting in the street and controlling someone for gain all are. The UK law guide sets out where the lines fall, and the visitor guide covers the etiquette, which differs more than the distance suggests.
The flight home
The flight home is much the same length. This route runs north to south rather than across the winds, so there is no hour to gain or lose in either direction, and London back to Cairo is scheduled within a few minutes of the flight out. One fewer thing to plan around.
Before you book
Most visitors travelling on an Egyptian passport need a Standard Visitor visa before they fly. Applications take time and carry a fee, so settle it before you buy a ticket you cannot change. The official check if you need a UK visa service tells you what applies to your passport.
When to get in touch
London runs 2 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 1pm and 1am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Also close to where you land, with no profiles of their own but a guide to getting there and how outcall works: Feltham, Hayes, Hounslow, Southall.
Other cities in Africa
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Cairo to London?
The flight from Cairo International takes about 5 to 5.5 hours northbound. Add the connection time if your fare has a stop, and allow for getting to and through the airport at both ends.
What is the time difference between Cairo and London?
London is 2 hours behind. The United Kingdom and most other countries change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn the gap shifts by an hour.
What time should I message from Cairo?
London runs 2 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 1pm and 1am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Which London airport do flights from Cairo land at?
Most land at Heathrow, about fifteen miles west of central London and on the Piccadilly line and the Elizabeth line. Some services use Gatwick, to the south, so check the airport on your ticket before you book a hotel.
Do I need a visa to fly from Cairo to London?
Most visitors travelling on an Egyptian passport need a Standard Visitor visa. Use the official GOV.UK check if you need a UK visa service for your own passport, and apply well before you book flights you cannot change.
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.
Is prostitution legal in the UK?
Selling and buying sex between consenting adults is not itself a crime in England, Wales or Scotland. Northern Ireland is the exception, where paying for sex has been an offence since 1 June 2015. Public soliciting, brothel keeping and exploiting another person's work are offences in different forms across the UK.