There is no single flight time from the UK to Africa. The answer depends on the country, the airline, the direction and the season. This guide gives the time each airline states on its own pages for London to Accra, Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Harare, with the source named beside every figure.
Every time here is an airline's published figure, not our own estimate. Times vary by direction, season and schedule, and your ticket shows the scheduled time for your dates. We read the airline pages listed at the end on 14 October 2026.
As a first answer, British Airways lists about 6 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours 35 minutes from London to Accra, Lagos and Abuja, about 8 hours 35 minutes to Nairobi and about 11 hours to Johannesburg.
How long is the flight from the UK to each country?
| Country and airport | Non-stop operators the airlines' own pages list from London | Time the airline states |
|---|---|---|
| Ghana: Accra (ACC) | British Airways, from Heathrow and Gatwick | British Airways, London to Accra page: about 6 hrs 35 mins |
| Nigeria: Lagos (LOS) | British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow; Air Peace from Gatwick | British Airways, London to Lagos page: about 6 hrs 35 mins. Virgin Atlantic, Lagos page: about 7 hours. Air Peace: no time on its page |
| Nigeria: Abuja (ABV) | British Airways from Heathrow; Air Peace lists Heathrow and Gatwick | British Airways, London to Abuja page: about 6 hours 30 minutes. Air Peace: no time on its page |
| Kenya: Nairobi (NBO) | British Airways from Heathrow; Kenya Airways lists Heathrow and Gatwick | British Airways, London to Nairobi page: about 8 hrs 35 mins. Kenya Airways: about 9h00 from Gatwick to Nairobi and about 9h20 from Nairobi to Heathrow, per its two route pages |
| South Africa: Johannesburg (JNB) | British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, from Heathrow | British Airways, London to Johannesburg page: about 11 hours. Virgin Atlantic, Johannesburg page: 11 hours |
| South Africa: Cape Town (CPT) | British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, from Heathrow (Virgin Atlantic seasonal) | British Airways, London to Cape Town page: about 11 hours 35 mins. Virgin Atlantic, Cape Town page: 11 hours |
| Zimbabwe: Harare (HRE) | A non-stop service operates from London Gatwick (see the Zimbabwe section) | One stop: Ethiopian Airlines, London to Harare page: about 15 hours 35 minutes. No airline time read for the non-stop |
British Airways' route pages say "from London" and do not name a London airport. We take the operator and airport pairs from the airlines' own listings, and we give no days or frequencies, because the pages we read do not give them for every airline. Where two airlines differ, we show both.
How should you read a flight time?
A flight time on an airline page is the time in the air, not your journey from home. Keep the two apart when you compare quotes.
Two airlines can publish different times for the same city pair. In the table, British Airways lists about 6 hours 35 minutes to Lagos and Virgin Atlantic lists about 7 hours. British Airways lists about 8 hours 35 minutes to Nairobi, and Kenya Airways gives about 9 hours and about 9 hours 20 minutes depending on the direction. We do not average these or pick a winner. Each airline sets its own schedule, and the same route can change by direction, season and schedule.
One-stop figures need more care. Ethiopian Airlines' pages give total journeys that include the stopover, and for Johannesburg the page itself shows two different total ranges. We quote only its fastest Johannesburg figure. A total that includes a stopover depends on the length of the wait at the hub, which changes with the date.
How long is the flight from the UK to Ghana?
British Airways flies non-stop to Accra from London Heathrow and London Gatwick, according to its media centre factsheets. The Heathrow factsheet refers to summer 2026, and the Gatwick factsheet is undated. British Airways lists about 6 hours 35 minutes from London to Accra on its own route page, and the page does not say whether the figure applies to Heathrow or Gatwick, so we attribute it to neither.
We found no figure for a one-stop journey to Accra on an airline page, so we give none. From Manchester, Birmingham and the rest of the UK you connect at a hub or travel to London first. Our guide to flights to Ghana from the UK covers the airports, the months and the entry basics, and our Ghana destination page is the place to start a quote.
How long is the flight from the UK to Nigeria?
Lagos and Abuja have different answers, so check which city you need.
Lagos. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic list flights from Heathrow, and Air Peace lists a Gatwick service. British Airways lists about 6 hours 35 minutes from London to Lagos. Virgin Atlantic lists about 7 hours. Air Peace's page gives no flight time, so we quote none for it.
Abuja. British Airways lists Heathrow to Abuja at about 6 hours 30 minutes from London. Air Peace lists Abuja flights from both Heathrow and Gatwick, and gives no time.
For a one-stop journey, Ethiopian Airlines' London to Lagos page gives a range of 15 to 22 hours including the stopover. Its segment figures show a stop at Addis Ababa, so the total depends on the connection.
Our guide to flights to Nigeria from Manchester, Birmingham and beyond compares Lagos with Abuja and covers regional airports. For quotes, start from the Nigeria destination page.
How long is the flight from the UK to Kenya?
British Airways lists about 8 hours 35 minutes from London to Nairobi. Its Heathrow factsheet lists Nairobi.
Kenya Airways' own pages list direct flights between Nairobi and London Heathrow, and from London Gatwick to Nairobi. Its Gatwick to Nairobi page says the average flight time is around 9 hours, and its Nairobi to London page says around 9 hours 20 minutes, with arrival at Heathrow. Those are two different directions and two different London airports, so we do not combine them into one round-trip figure.
That gives three different figures on three pages from two airlines, and we show all three. We found no one-stop figure for Kenya on an airline page, so we give none.
Our guide to flying home to Kenya from the UK covers the practical steps, and the Kenya destination page is where to ask for a quote.
How long is the flight from the UK to South Africa?
Johannesburg is the main gateway. British Airways lists about 11 hours from London to Johannesburg, and Virgin Atlantic lists 11 hours from Heathrow. A one-stop journey takes longer, because you fly two sectors and wait at the hub. Ethiopian Airlines' London to Johannesburg page gives a fastest journey of about 15 hours 25 minutes with a stop at Addis Ababa. Our guide to London to Johannesburg, direct or one-stop weighs the two options.
Cape Town. British Airways lists about 11 hours 35 minutes from London to Cape Town on its own route page. Virgin Atlantic lists 11 hours, and says the service runs in its seasonal schedule from 15 October 2026 to 20 April 2027. Ethiopian Airlines' London to Cape Town page gives a fastest journey of about 15 hours. The two airlines' figures differ.
For quotes to either city, start from the South Africa destination page.
How long is the flight from the UK to Zimbabwe?
A non-stop service operates from London Gatwick. We do not quote a flight time for it, because we have not read one on the airline's own timetable. For the airline, baggage and entry details, see our Harare flights page.
For a one-stop journey, Ethiopian Airlines' London to Harare page says it takes about 15 hours 35 minutes. The page does not say what the figure includes, so treat it as an indication and ask for the total on your own dates.
Our Zimbabwe destination page has more on the country, and we can quote the options for your dates.
What about flights from Manchester, Birmingham or Scotland?
The non-stop services we found for these routes leave from London. From Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and the other UK airports, you connect at a hub or travel to London first. The total is longer than the figures in our table, and it depends on the hub and the length of the wait.
We quote no single figure for a regional journey, because the airline pages we read give none for those airports. Ask for the elapsed time from your first departure to your final arrival. Our Ghana and Nigeria guides, linked above, cover the regional options for those two countries.
What should you ask for on a quote?
Ask for these on every quote:
- the airport code (LHR for Heathrow, LGW for Gatwick) and the flight number on each leg;
- the scheduled departure and arrival times for your dates, in both directions;
- the number of stops and the length of the connection at the hub;
- the total time from first departure to final arrival, not only the time in the air;
- whether the whole journey is on one ticket, because what happens if you miss a connection, and whether your bags are checked through, depends on the tickets and the airlines involved;
- the baggage allowance on every flight on the ticket;
- the dates a seasonal service runs, such as Virgin Atlantic's Cape Town schedule, which runs from 15 October 2026 to 20 April 2027.
Check the name on the ticket against your passport before you pay. Then compare the quotes on the same basis: the same dates, the same airports and the same total journey time.
How can Travel Orbit help?
Send us your home airport, your dates, the number of travellers and how many bags you plan to take. We will check what operates for your dates, which airport suits you and what the airlines state for the journey.
Travel Orbit searches several airlines through our booking systems and quotes you the options, so you can compare routes before you choose.
Use the enquiry form or email [email protected]. You can also start from the destination pages for Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Sources
We read these pages on 14 October 2026. Airlines change schedules with the seasons, so check the airline's timetable for your dates.
- British Airways, London to Accra route page: https://hotline.britishairways.com/content/flights/ghana/accra
- British Airways, London to Lagos route page: https://hotline.britishairways.com/content/flights/nigeria/lagos
- British Airways, London to Abuja route page: https://hotline.britishairways.com/content/flights/nigeria/abuja
- British Airways, London to Nairobi route page: https://hotline.britishairways.com/content/flights/kenya/nairobi
- British Airways, London to Johannesburg route page: https://hotline.britishairways.com/content/flights/south-africa/johannesburg
- British Airways, London to Cape Town route page: https://hotline.britishairways.com/content/flights/south-africa/cape-town
- British Airways media centre, London Heathrow factsheet: https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/factsheet/details/11
- British Airways media centre, London Gatwick factsheet: https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/factsheet/details/15
- Virgin Atlantic, flights to Lagos: https://www.virginatlantic.com/where-we-fly/africa/nigeria/lagos
- Virgin Atlantic, flights to Johannesburg: https://www.virginatlantic.com/where-we-fly/africa/south-africa/johannesburg
- Virgin Atlantic, flights to Cape Town: https://www.virginatlantic.com/where-we-fly/africa/south-africa/cape-town
- Kenya Airways, flights to Nairobi (from London Gatwick): https://www.kenya-airways.com/en_gb/flights-to-nairobi/
- Kenya Airways, flights from Nairobi to London: https://www.kenya-airways.com/en_ke/flights-from-nairobi-to-london/
- Ethiopian Airlines, London to Harare: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-harare
- Ethiopian Airlines, London to Lagos: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-lagos
- Ethiopian Airlines, London to Johannesburg: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-johannesburg
- Ethiopian Airlines, London to Cape Town: https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/en-gb/flights-from-london-to-cape-town
- Air Peace, home page: https://flyairpeace.com/
- London Gatwick media centre, direct flights to Harare, 24 July 2026: https://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/news/london-gatwick-becomes-uk-s-only-airport-offering-direct-flights-to-harare-a9d8e-40f32.html