Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Durban to London. The right side wins overall because the Durban departure offers genuinely spectacular coastal scenery — the harbour, the Bluff, and the Indian Ocean — which is more dramatic than the London approach views. The landing left-side advantage is real but the London approach scenery is familiar and lower-impact compared to the Durban coastal departure.

During takeoff from Durban International (DUR), sit on the Right side for the best views. Durban's runway 06 departure (the most common northbound departure) takes you northeast over the city and coast. The right side gives you the Indian Ocean coastline sweeping north toward uMhlanga, while the left side faces inland toward the Berea Ridge. If departing runway 24 heading southwest, the right side still captures the harbour and Bluff headland as you bank north. Notable sights include: Durban Harbour and Point waterfront, the Bluff headland, uMhlanga Rocks coastline to the north, Berea Ridge urban escarpment.

When landing at Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Heathrow's most common westerly approach (runway 27L/27R) brings aircraft in from the east over London. The left side gives a clear view of central London — the Thames, the City skyline, and the South Bank — as you track west at low altitude. The right side faces north toward suburban Middlesex with less visual interest. Notable sights include: River Thames snaking west through London, City of London and Canary Wharf tower clusters, Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park to the west, M25 motorway ring.

The flight from Durban International (DUR) to Heathrow (LHR) takes Approximately 11 to 12 hours nonstop (around 9,000 km, typically operated by British Airways or connecting via Johannesburg).

The route tracks north-northwest from Durban over Mozambique and Tanzania, crossing Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria in East Africa (visible as enormous dark inland water bodies), then over South Sudan and Sudan, across the Sahara Desert with its vast sand seas and ergs, over the Mediterranean near Libya or Tunisia, across southern Europe over the Alps or France depending on routing, then descending into southern England