Why there is a difference for flight journey from NY to Delhi and back on the same flight which is a Non-Stop?

Question

The above one is just an example. This is the same with almost all the long distance flights. Do you know if this is because of wind forces that move in the air? Is it because of gravity?

Answer 1

It's mostly because of winds.  In the mid-latitudes, the atmospheric winds at the altitudes in which airplanes fly almost always blow from the west.  (Over the tropics, they almost always blow from the east.)  So, if you're traveling the same way the wind blows, it pushes the plane a little faster.  If you're flying against the wind, it slows it down a little.  On a long flight, this small amount adds up and can be more than an hour (or two) difference.

Answer 2

Just confirming here what the big guy said.  I often fly from the states to Europe and back.  The pilot is always commenting on the good tail winds and 9 out of 10 times we're early hitting Europe.  On the other hand, a strong head will slow us down, but usually, the airlines plan for this, and that's why you see a time difference on the same routes going different directions.  Voila.

Answer 3

<sarcasm mode on>

Nah, It's because when you're going to India, you dont want to really get there and when you're leaving it, you really want to be far from it as soon as possible. =D

<sarcasm mode off>

The guy above me seems to be right.

Answer 4

A - The earth's surface is moving at approx 1000 miles per hour. An airplane travels at approx 500 mph.  The earth acts as a conveyor belt. Planes gain speed going east,  lose speed going west.

B - Winds of up to 100 mph slow a westbound plane down, or speed up an eastbound plane.

C - Return flights fly a higher altitude route with higher wind speeds and a longer flight time.

D - You can't get to Delhi nonstop from NY.

E - All of the above

F - Some of the above

G- None of the above.