Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
DTW to JAF: distance & flight time
Detroit (Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport) → Jaffna (Kankesanturai Airport)
8,693 mi
13,991 km · 7,554 nm
17h 31m
estimated nonstop flight time
+9.5h
time difference · heading north
See live DTW→JAF fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
8,693 miles nonstop takes roughly 17h 31m gate to gate, flying north. Add 45–90 minutes per connection if there's no nonstop service. Remember to factor the 9.5-hour time gain when reading arrival times on your ticket.
The two airports
- DTW — Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · Detroit, United States
- JAF — Kankesanturai Airport · Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Distances are great-circle ("as the crow flies") — the same basis airlines use for frequent-flyer miles.
Alternate airports can cut this fare
Flying from or into a nearby airport is the #1 trick our agents use to beat online prices. Call and we'll compare every combination on one call.
Near DTW
- YIP · Willow Run Airport9 mi away
- ARB · Ann Arbor Municipal Airport20 mi away
- YQG · Windsor Airport21 mi away
- DET · Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport22 mi away
Near JAF
- TJV · Tanjore Air Force Base92 mi away
- ACJ · Anuradhapura Air Force Base106 mi away
- TRZ · Tiruchirapally Civil Airport Airport114 mi away
- TRR · China Bay Airport115 mi away
Frequently asked questions
How far is DTW from JAF?
The flight distance from Detroit (DTW) to Jaffna (JAF) is 8,693 miles (13,991 km, 7,554 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from DTW to JAF?
A nonstop flight takes about 17h 31m gate to gate. Actual time varies with winds, routing and season — eastbound transatlantic flights, for example, are usually faster than the return.
What is the time difference between Detroit and Jaffna?
Jaffna is 9.5 hours ahead of Detroit.
What is the cheapest way to fly from DTW to JAF?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on DTW–JAF that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.