FlownLondon Gatwick to Malta: which side of the plane?
Flying out, sit on the left (seat A) for the Eiger and Jungfrau, Mont Blanc, and Mount Etna; the right side has Corsica and Sardinia.
Flying from Manchester, London Heathrow, London Stansted, Birmingham or London Luton instead? You pass much the same things, on the same sides.
- RouteLGW → MLA
- Distance1,283 miles (2,065 km) direct
- Flight timeroughly 3¼ hours
What you might see, flying out
Left side · seat A
- Lake Genevaabout 1h 05m in
- The Eiger and Jungfrauabout 1h 10m in
- Mont Blancabout 1h 15m in
- The Matterhornabout 1h 15m in
- Mount Etnaon the way in to land
Right side · seat F
- Parisabout 30 min in
- Corsicaabout 1h 55m in
- Sardiniaabout 2h 10m in
Leaving London Gatwick (LGW) in the afternoon, the sun is mostly on the right, so the left side is shadier.
Flying home: Malta to Gatwick
Flying home, sit on the right (seat F) for Mount Etna, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc; the left side has Sardinia and Corsica.
Left side · seat A
- Sardiniaabout 1h 00m in
- Corsicaabout 1h 20m in
- Parisabout 2h 45m in
Right side · seat F
- Mount Etnasoon after take-off
- The Matterhornabout 2h 00m in
- Mont Blancabout 2h 00m in
- The Eiger and Jungfrauabout 2h 00m in
- Lake Genevaabout 2h 05m in
Leaving Malta (MLA) in the morning, the sun is mostly on the right, so the left side is shadier. In the afternoon it's mostly on the left.
Worked out along the direct (great-circle) route between the two airports. Real flights follow airways, winds and air traffic control, often tens of miles either side of it, so these are likely rather than certain, and clouds permitting. Times assume a typical 3¼-hour flight. Seat letters are for the window: A on the left; on the right, F on most single-aisle jets and K on most wide-bodies.