- Flight
- about 9.5 to 10 hours westbound
- Departs
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 4.5 to 5.5 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Mumbai to London is about nine and a half to ten hours nonstop, with London four and a half to five and a half hours behind. It is one of the best served routes between India and the United Kingdom, which means the choice you have to make is mostly about timing.
Choose the arrival you want
With several daily services on more than one airline, fares and times vary a lot. Work backwards from what you want your first day in London to be. An afternoon landing gives you a hotel check-in and a night’s sleep. A morning landing gives you a long day on no sleep.
The monsoon
Between June and September the monsoon disrupts Mumbai’s airport, and delays on the way out are common. If you have arranged to meet someone on your first evening, tell them you are in transit so that a delay is not a surprise.
The flight home
The flight home is the quicker one. Heading east you have the jet stream behind you rather than against you, which is worth about an hour on a route this long, so London back to Mumbai is shorter than the flight you took to get here. Pleasant, and easy to forget when you are working out how much of the day the return will eat.
Before you book
Most visitors travelling on an Indian 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.
Worth reading first
The visitor guide covers the etiquette, and the rates guide covers the money, which is paid in pounds sterling and agreed in advance.
When to get in touch
London runs 5 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 4pm and 4am 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 India
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Mumbai to London?
The flight from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International takes about 9.5 to 10 hours westbound. 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 Mumbai and London?
London is 4.5 to 5.5 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 Mumbai?
London runs 5 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 4pm and 4am 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 Mumbai 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 Mumbai to London?
Most visitors travelling on an Indian 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.