Time difference between Delhi and London

The gap is not the same all year

Every converter gives one number for this pair. That number is right for most of the year and wrong for part of it, because Delhi does not change its clocks and London goes forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

Delhi stays put all year while London moves, so the gap changes twice a year from London's side alone. A recurring meeting set in Delhi's calendar will drift by an hour without anyone touching it.

About Delhi and London

India runs a single zone at UTC+5:30 across nearly 30 degrees of longitude, so sunrise in the far northeast can be before five in the morning by the clock. Proposals to split the country in two have been made repeatedly and rejected each time.

London is the reference the rest of the system is measured from: Greenwich sits inside the city, and UTC±0 is its winter time. It does not stay there — Britain moves to UTC+1 for seven months of the year, which is why "London is GMT" is wrong more often than it is right.

What 4 hours 30 minutes actually costs you

The window is 3.5 hours wide and that is all there is. 1:30 PM–5:00 PM in Delhi is 9:00 AM–12:30 PM in London, and anything outside it puts somebody at their desk when they are not meant to be. A pair this tight is worth putting in a calendar rather than agreeing each time.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 3.5 hours — 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM in Delhi, the same moment as 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM in London.

Delhi

London

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How far apart Delhi and London are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 6,711 km (4,170 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 8 hours 35 minutes in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

A gap of 4 hours 30 minutes is small enough that most people adjust within a day or two, and short enough that it rarely disrupts a trip.

Delhi to London, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 4 hours 30 minutes.

Frequently asked questions