✈ PVG → CPT

16H 13M FROM SHANGHAI TO CAPE TOWN. THIS IS NOT TRAVEL. THIS IS ENDURANCE.

Flight time
16h 13m
Distance
8,071 mi
Or
12,989 km
Jet lag
6h

Flight from Shanghai to Cape Town

From Pudong (PVG), China Asia  →  Cape Town International (CPT), South Africa Africa

How long is the flight from Shanghai to Cape Town?

A nonstop flight from Shanghai (PVG) to Cape Town (CPT) takes about 16 hours 13 minutes, covering a great-circle distance of 8,071 miles (12,989 km). Actual scheduled time varies by airline, routing, and wind — expect ±15 to 30 minutes from this estimate.

Avg flight time

16h 13m

Nonstop, scheduled

Distance

8,071 mi

12,989 km · great-circle

Avg speed

801 km/h

Door-to-door including taxi

Time zones & jet lag

Shanghai timezone

UTC+8

Asia/Shanghai

Cape Town timezone

UTC+2

Africa/Johannesburg

Time difference

-6h

6 hours behind

Jet lag (rough)

~4.2d

Westward — easier

CO₂ footprint per passenger

Economy class, single passenger. Source: DEFRA 2024 averages.

✈ Flight 1922 kg CO₂
🚗 Car (alone) 2221 kg CO₂
🚆 Train 533 kg CO₂

This flight emits roughly 3.6× the CO₂ of an equivalent train trip and 0.9× a car driven alone over the same distance.