- Flight
- about 22 to 24 hours with one stop
- Departs
- Sydney Kingsford Smith
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 9 to 11 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Sydney to London is about twenty two to twenty four hours with one stop, and London is nine to eleven hours behind Sydney depending on the time of year. There is no nonstop yet, so the stop is the decision that matters.
Choosing the stop
Most travellers connect in Singapore, Dubai, Doha or Hong Kong. The stop changes the total time, the price and where you can recover. A connection of two or three hours is efficient. One of six to eight hours is long enough to sleep at an airport hotel, which is often the better trade.
Two sets of clocks
Australia and the United Kingdom change their clocks on different dates, so the gap moves between nine and eleven hours across the year. Check it for the week you travel, not once for the year.
Your evening is London’s day
London’s working day is the Sydney evening and night. Message after dinner and expect to wake to the reply.
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 Sydney 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
Visitors from Australia who do not need a visa still need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, before they fly. It is a short online application, and it should be made through the official GOV.UK ETA service, not a site that charges extra to do it for you. The rules change, so check them before you book.
Worth reading first
The visitor guide covers what differs from home, and the UK law guide covers England and Wales, which is not the same as the law in your state.
When to get in touch
London runs 10 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 9pm and 9am 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 Australia and New Zealand
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Sydney to London?
The flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith takes about 22 to 24 hours with one stop. 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 Sydney and London?
London is 9 to 11 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 Sydney?
London runs 10 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 9pm and 9am 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 Sydney 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 an ETA to fly from Sydney to London?
Most visitors from Australia who do not need a visa need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, before they fly. Apply through the official GOV.UK service only, and check the current rules before you book, because they 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.