Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter)

116 flight routes pass within 249 miles of Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter).

Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter)
🏜️ Desert · Saudi Arabia / Oman / UAE / Yemen

Photo: Nepenthes · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The world's largest contiguous sand desert covers 650,000 sq km across the southern Arabian Peninsula. The vast orange dune fields stretch to every horizon on flights between the Gulf and Yemen or Oman.
116Flight Routes
2 miClosest Pass
🏜️ DesertType

Routes that pass it116

JED → PNY Jeddah to Puducherry · 2 mi Both Sides PNY → JED Puducherry to Jeddah · 2 mi Both Sides DXB → EBB Dubai to Entebbe · 3 mi Both Sides EBB → DXB Entebbe to Dubai · 3 mi Both Sides CAI → MEL Cairo to Melbourne · 7 mi Left JED → KUL Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur · 7 mi Left KUL → JED Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah · 7 mi Right MEL → CAI Melbourne to Cairo · 7 mi Right CAI → MEB Cairo to Melbourne · 9 mi Left MEB → CAI Melbourne to Cairo · 9 mi Right BLR → JED Bangalore to Jeddah · 12 mi Left JED → BLR Jeddah to Bangalore · 12 mi Right ADD → DXB Addis Ababa to Dubai · 22 mi Right DXB → ADD Dubai to Addis Ababa · 22 mi Left JED → MAA Jeddah to Madras · 23 mi Right MAA → JED Madras to Jeddah · 23 mi Left DOH → MPM Doha to Maputo · 34 mi Left MPM → DOH Maputo to Doha · 34 mi Right DAR → DOH Dar Es Salaam to Doha · 40 mi Right DOH → DAR Doha to Dar Es Salaam · 40 mi Left DOH → ZNZ Doha to Zanzibar · 43 mi Left ZNZ → DOH Zanzibar to Doha · 43 mi Right DOH → JNB Doha to Johannesburg · 62 mi Left JNB → DOH Johannesburg to Doha · 62 mi Right DOH → GCJ Doha to Johannesburg · 63 mi Left GCJ → DOH Johannesburg to Doha · 63 mi Right AUH → WIL Abu Dhabi to Nairobi · 63 mi Right WIL → AUH Nairobi to Abu Dhabi · 63 mi Left DOH → HLA Doha to Johannesburg · 64 mi Left HLA → DOH Johannesburg to Doha · 64 mi Right AUH → NBO Abu Dhabi to Nairobi · 65 mi Right NBO → AUH Nairobi to Abu Dhabi · 65 mi Left DXB → WIL Dubai to Nairobi · 66 mi Right WIL → DXB Nairobi to Dubai · 66 mi Left DXB → NBO Dubai to Nairobi · 68 mi Right NBO → DXB Nairobi to Dubai · 68 mi Left SHJ → WIL Sharjah to Nairobi · 69 mi Right WIL → SHJ Nairobi to Sharjah · 69 mi Left DWC → NBO Dubai to Nairobi · 71 mi Right NBO → DWC Nairobi to Dubai · 71 mi Left NBO → SHJ Nairobi to Sharjah · 71 mi Left SHJ → NBO Sharjah to Nairobi · 71 mi Right DOH → JRO Doha to Kilimanjaro · 80 mi Left JRO → DOH Kilimanjaro to Doha · 80 mi Right CPT → DOH Cape Town to Doha · 87 mi Right DOH → CPT Doha to Cape Town · 87 mi Left CAI → PER Cairo to Perth · 88 mi Left PER → CAI Perth to Cairo · 88 mi Right CGK → JED Jakarta to Jeddah · 88 mi Right JED → CGK Jeddah to Jakarta · 88 mi Left DOH → NBO Doha to Nairobi · 93 mi Left NBO → DOH Nairobi to Doha · 93 mi Right DOH → WIL Doha to Nairobi · 94 mi Left WIL → DOH Nairobi to Doha · 94 mi Right CGK → MED Jakarta to Madinah · 98 mi Left DXB → LAD Dubai to Luanda · 98 mi Left LAD → DXB Luanda to Dubai · 98 mi Right MED → CGK Madinah to Jakarta · 98 mi Right AUH → BHI Abu Dhabi to Bahia Blanca · 101 mi Left BHI → AUH Bahia Blanca to Abu Dhabi · 101 mi Right DOH → LUN Doha to Lusaka · 101 mi Left LUN → DOH Lusaka to Doha · 101 mi Right CPT → DXB Cape Town to Dubai · 106 mi Left DXB → CPT Dubai to Cape Town · 106 mi Right JED → NMI Jeddah to Navi Mumbai · 108 mi Right NMI → JED Navi Mumbai to Jeddah · 108 mi Left DXB → HRE Dubai to Harare · 115 mi Right HRE → DXB Harare to Dubai · 115 mi Left AUH → JNB Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg · 121 mi Right JNB → AUH Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi · 121 mi Left AUH → ZNZ Abu Dhabi to Zanzibar · 124 mi Right ZNZ → AUH Zanzibar to Abu Dhabi · 124 mi Left DXB → HLA Dubai to Johannesburg · 129 mi Right AUH → EZE Abu Dhabi to Buenos Aires · 131 mi Left DXB → GCJ Dubai to Johannesburg · 131 mi Right EZE → AUH Buenos Aires to Abu Dhabi · 131 mi Right GCJ → DXB Johannesburg to Dubai · 131 mi Left HNL → NBO Honolulu to Nairobi · 131 mi Right NBO → HNL Nairobi to Honolulu · 131 mi Left DXB → JNB Dubai to Johannesburg · 132 mi Right JNB → DXB Johannesburg to Dubai · 132 mi Left DXB → ZNZ Dubai to Zanzibar · 135 mi Right ZNZ → DXB Zanzibar to Dubai · 135 mi Left DAR → DXB Dar Es Salaam to Dubai · 139 mi Left DXB → DAR Dubai to Dar Es Salaam · 139 mi Right DOH → EBB Doha to Entebbe · 149 mi Left EBB → DOH Entebbe to Doha · 149 mi Right DOH → SEZ Doha to Mahe · 153 mi Right SEZ → DOH Mahe to Doha · 153 mi Left DOH → KGL Doha to Kigali · 157 mi Left KGL → DOH Kigali to Doha · 157 mi Right KGL → MCT Kigali to Muscat · 158 mi Left MCT → KGL Muscat to Kigali · 158 mi Right DXB → MPM Dubai to Maputo · 166 mi Right MPM → DXB Maputo to Dubai · 166 mi Left KUL → MED Kuala Lumpur to Madinah · 173 mi Left MED → KUL Madinah to Kuala Lumpur · 173 mi Right ADD → ICN Addis Ababa to Seoul · 180 mi Left JED → MCT Jeddah to Muscat · 210 mi Right MCT → JED Muscat to Jeddah · 210 mi Left FCO → JAD Rome to Perth · 213 mi Right JAD → FCO Perth to Rome · 213 mi Left FCO → PER Rome to Perth · 222 mi Right PER → FCO Perth to Rome · 222 mi Left CIA → PER Rome to Perth · 227 mi Right PER → CIA Perth to Rome · 227 mi Left DXB → GIG Dubai to Rio De Janeiro · 232 mi Left GIG → DXB Rio De Janeiro to Dubai · 232 mi Right CGH → DXB Sao Paulo to Dubai · 235 mi Right DXB → CGH Dubai to Sao Paulo · 235 mi Left ADD → DEL Addis Ababa to Delhi · 236 mi Left DEL → ADD Delhi to Addis Ababa · 236 mi Right DXB → GRU Dubai to Sao Paulo · 236 mi Left GRU → DXB Sao Paulo to Dubai · 236 mi Right DEL → EZE Delhi to Buenos Aires · 242 mi Right EZE → DEL Buenos Aires to Delhi · 242 mi Left
Tip: Visibility depends on cloud cover, time of day, and how close the flight path comes. Sit on the listed side for the best chance of a view. Morning and evening flights often offer the best lighting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you see Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) from a plane?

Yes — 116 flight routes pass within 249 miles of Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter). The closest routes include Jeddah to Puducherry, Puducherry to Jeddah, Dubai to Entebbe. The landmark is visible from both sides, with the landmark passing about 2 miles away.

Which side of the plane is best for viewing Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter)?

The best side varies by route. For the most common routes near Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter): on a Jeddah to Puducherry flight, visible from both sides; on a Puducherry to Jeddah flight, visible from both sides; on a Dubai to Entebbe flight, visible from both sides.