Kunming to Shanghai: which side of the plane gets the sun?
On most daytime flights from Kunming to Shanghai, the sun shines in on the right. Sit on the left for shade, or the right for the view of the sun.
Best side for shade
Departure time is local at KMG. Seasons use the solstices and equinoxes.
| Departing | Mar | Jun | Sep | Dec |
|---|
| Morning07:00 | Leftsunrise right | Eithersun high, ahead or behind | Left | Leftsunrise right |
|---|
| Midday12:00 | Left | Eithersun high, ahead or behind | Left | Left |
|---|
| Afternoon16:00 | Right | Right | Right | Left |
|---|
| Evening20:00 | Eithermostly dark | Eithermostly dark | Eithermostly dark | Eithermostly dark |
|---|
The route starts out heading east-northeast. North of the tropics the midday sun is in the southern sky, so on this heading it tends to be on the right of the aircraft. When it happens during the flight, the sunrise is on the right, and the sunset is on the left.
About this flight
Kunming (KMG) to Shanghai (PVG) is about 1,965 km on the shortest path, typically around 2h 50m gate to gate. Set your exact departure time above to see where the sun is minute by minute.
How accurate is this?
Real flights don't fly exactly the shortest path, and delays and winds shift the timing, so treat sunrise and sunset times as approximate. At cruise altitude the sun sets 10 to 20 minutes later than on the ground. A bright cloud deck below can reflect glare in on either side. More on accuracy.
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