Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Tonopah, Nevada, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DUR to XSD:
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- About this route
- DUR Airport Information
- XSD Airport Information
- Facts about DUR
- Facts about XSD
- Map of Nearest Airports to DUR
- List of Nearest Airports to DUR
- Map of Furthest Airports from DUR
- List of Furthest Airports from DUR
- Map of Nearest Airports to XSD
- List of Nearest Airports to XSD
- Map of Furthest Airports from XSD
- List of Furthest Airports from XSD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD), Tonopah, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,517 miles (or 16,926 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between King Shaka International and Tonopah Test Range Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.
Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between King Shaka International and Tonopah Test Range Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | DUR / FALE |
Airport Name: | King Shaka International |
Location: | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 29°37'0"S by 31°6'29"E |
Area Served: | Durban, South Africa |
Operator/Owner: | Dube Tradeport Company |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 295 feet (90 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from DUR |
More Information: | DUR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | XSD / KTNX |
Airport Name: | Tonopah Test Range Airport |
Location: | Tonopah, Nevada, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°47'40"N by 116°46'42"W |
View all routes: | Routes from XSD |
More Information: | XSD Maps & Info |
Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):
- King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
- On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
- Construction of the airport commenced on 24 August 2007, immediately after the approval of the EIA.
- The final obstacle was a delay in the approval of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
- The project was then hit by a tender war between the Illembe consortium and the Indiza consortium.
- King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of King Shaka International's relatively low elevation of 295 feet, planes can take off or land at King Shaka International at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
- The furthest airport from King Shaka International (DUR) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,682 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
- The check-in concourse, located on the upper floor, contains 72 check-in counters and 18 self-service kiosks, as well as ticket offices for the various airlines operating out of the airport.
Facts about Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD):
- The furthest airport from Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,207 miles (18,036 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- In July 1975, the 4477th Tactical Evaluation Flight was formed at Nellis AFB as tactical evaluation organization.
- Tonopah is owned by the USAF Air Combat Command.
- The closest airport to Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Tonopah Airport (TPH), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NW of XSD.
- What was learned during these projects prompted the US Navy to commence Top Gun exercises first at NAS Miramar, California and then NAS Fallon, Nevada.
- Foreign military sales of United States fighter aircraft to Indonesia and Egypt in the mid-1970s to replace the Soviet fighter aircraft allowed these nations to clandestinely transfer un-needed MiG-21 ultra modern MiG-23s aircraft to the United States for evaluation.
- In 2003, after the seizure of the Iraqi Air Force Al-Taqaddum Air Base, an advanced Russian MiG-25 Foxbat was found buried in the sand after an informant tipped off U.S.
- The primary access to the facility is off of U.S.
- In addition, unconfirmed Soviet aircraft flown were MiG-25 Foxbat.