- Flight
- about 9 to 9.5 hours northbound
- Departs
- Jomo Kenyatta International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 2 to 3 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Nairobi to London is about nine hours, and London is two or three hours behind. Kenya Airways and British Airways both fly it nonstop into Heathrow.
The overnight is the normal way
Kenya Airways typically leaves Nairobi overnight and lands at Heathrow in the morning, timed so that passengers can connect onward across Europe and North America. If London is your destination rather than your connection, that leaves you at the airport early with the day in front of you and no room ready.
Nine hours is long enough to sleep properly if you can sleep at all on a plane, and the time difference is small enough that you wake on roughly the right clock. That combination makes the first day more usable than most overnight arrivals.
Two or three hours, and no DST
Kenya does not change its clocks. London does. So the gap is three hours in the British winter and two in the British summer, and neither is enough to plan around.
The visa comes first
A Kenyan passport needs a Standard Visitor visa for the United Kingdom. It is a full application with a fee and a wait, and it is the part of the trip most worth starting early.
Before you arrange anything
With only two or three hours between the clocks, there is no awkward window for writing ahead, so there is no reason to leave it until you land. Rates here are per hour, agreed in advance, cash in pounds, no tip. The rates guide has the figures and the visitor guide covers hotels and discretion.
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 Nairobi is scheduled within a few minutes of the flight out. One fewer thing to plan around.
Before you book
Most visitors travelling on a Kenyan 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 3 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 2pm and 2am 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 Nairobi to London?
The flight from Jomo Kenyatta International takes about 9 to 9.5 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 Nairobi and London?
London is 2 to 3 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 Nairobi?
London runs 3 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 2pm and 2am 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 Nairobi 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 Nairobi to London?
Most visitors travelling on a Kenyan 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.