Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Aksu, Xinjiang, China:
Departure Airport:
(33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E)
Arrival Airport:
(41°15'45"N by 80°17'30"E)
Distance from ELS to AKU:
6,121.98 miles (9,852.35 km)
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- AKU Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about AKU
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to AKU
- List of Nearest Airports to AKU
- Map of Furthest Airports from AKU
- List of Furthest Airports from AKU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Aksu Airport (AKU), Aksu, Xinjiang, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,122 miles (or 9,852 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 East London Airport and Aksu 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 East London Airport and Aksu Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ELS / FAEL |
| Airport Name: | East London Airport |
| Location: | East London, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E |
| Area Served: | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 436 feet (133 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
| More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | AKU / ZWAK |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Aksu, Xinjiang, China |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°15'45"N by 80°17'30"E |
| Area Served: | Aksu, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 3816 feet (1,163 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from AKU |
| More Information: | AKU Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting.
- The furthest airport from East London Airport (ELS) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- Because of East London Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at East London Airport 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 airport was renamed in 1994.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- East London Airport resides at an elevation of 435 feet above mean sea level.
Facts about Aksu Airport (AKU):
- The closest airport to Aksu Airport (AKU) is Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA), which is located 143 miles (230 kilometers) ENE of AKU.
- Aksu Airport (AKU) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Aksu Airport (AKU) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,317 miles (18,214 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
- In addition to being known as "Aksu Airport", other names for AKU include "阿克苏机场" and "Ākèsù Jīchǎng".
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 65.15 miles (104.85 km) WSW | Port Alfred Airport (AFD) | Port Alfred, South Africa |     |
| 2 | 114.31 miles (183.96 km) NNE | Mthatha Airport (UTT) | Mthatha, South Africa | |
| 3 | 143.28 miles (230.59 km) WSW | Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) | Port Elizabeth, South Africa | |
| 4 | 210.82 miles (339.28 km) NE | Margate Airport (MGH) | Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 5 | 221.32 miles (356.17 km) N | Semonkong Airport (SOK) | Semonkong, Lesotho | |
| 6 | 222.73 miles (358.45 km) NNE | Lebakeng Airport (LEF) | Lebakeng, Lesotho | |
| 7 | 226.04 miles (363.78 km) N | Mafeteng Airport (MFC) | Mafeteng, Lesotho | |
| 8 | 228.78 miles (368.18 km) N | Lesobeng Airport (LES) | Lesobeng, Lesotho | |
| 9 | 247.37 miles (398.09 km) N | Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU) | Maseru, Lesotho | |
| 10 | 269.67 miles (433.99 km) NNE | Mokhotlong Airport (MKH) | Mokhotlong, Lesotho | |
| 11 | 279.14 miles (449.23 km) NNE | Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB) | Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | |
| 12 | 286.72 miles (461.43 km) NNW | Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) | Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa | |
| 13 | 289.10 miles (465.25 km) N | Leribe Airport (LRB) | Leribe, Lesotho | |
| 14 | 305.60 miles (491.81 km) NE | King Shaka International (DUR) | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 15 | 320.45 miles (515.72 km) WSW | George Airport (GRJ) | George, South Africa | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,568.58 miles (18,617.79 km) NNE | Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) | Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 2 | 11,567.16 miles (18,615.49 km) NNE | Princeville Airport (HPV) | Hanalei, Hawaii, United States | |
| 3 | 11,563.78 miles (18,610.05 km) NNE | Dillingham Airfield (HDH) | Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States | |
| 4 | 11,562.20 miles (18,607.51 km) NNE | Molokai Airport (MKK) | Kaunakakai, Hawaii, United States | |
| 5 | 11,561.78 miles (18,606.84 km) NNE | Wheeler AAF (HHI) | Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 6 | 11,558.95 miles (18,602.28 km) NNE | Hana Airport (HNM) | Hana, Hawaii, United States | |
| 7 | 11,558.59 miles (18,601.70 km) NNE | Kahului Airport (OGG) | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | |
| 8 | 11,558.30 miles (18,601.24 km) NNE | Kapalua Airport (JHM) | Lahaina, Hawaii, United States | |
| 9 | 11,556.31 miles (18,598.04 km) NNE | Lihue Airport (LIH) | Lihue, Hawaii, United States | |
| 10 | 11,554.09 miles (18,594.46 km) NNE | Honolulu International Airport (HNL) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 11 | 11,554.09 miles (18,594.46 km) NNE | Hickam Field (HIK) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 12 | 11,549.72 miles (18,587.42 km) NNE | Kalaeloa Airport (NAX) | Kapolei, Hawaii, United States | |
| 13 | 11,545.26 miles (18,580.25 km) NNE | PMRF Barking Sands (BKH) | Kekaha, Hawaii, United States | |
| 14 | 11,543.40 miles (18,577.26 km) NNE | Port Allen Airport (PAK) | Hanapepe, Hawaii, United States | |
| 15 | 11,541.15 miles (18,573.63 km) NNE | Lanai Airport (LNY) | Lanai City, Hawaii, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 143.00 miles (230.13 km) ENE | Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA) | Kuqa, Xinjiang, China | |
| 2 | 193.44 miles (311.30 km) NNE | Yining Airport (YIN) | Yining, Xinjiang, China | |
| 3 | 217.61 miles (350.21 km) NE | Nalati Airport (NLT) | Künes, Xinjiang, China | |
| 4 | 220.04 miles (354.13 km) NW | Almaty International Airport (ALA) | Almaty, Kazakhstan | |
| 5 | 254.18 miles (409.06 km) WSW | Kashgar Airport (KHG) | Kashgar, Xinjiang, China | |
| 6 | 270.64 miles (435.56 km) NNE | Bole Alashankou Airport (BPL) | Bole, Xinjiang, China | |
| 7 | 292.74 miles (471.11 km) S | Hotan Airport (HTN) | Hotan, Xinjiang, China | |
| 8 | 304.01 miles (489.25 km) E | Korla Airport (KRL) | Korla, Xinjiang, China | |
| 9 | 322.58 miles (519.14 km) WNW | Manas International Airport (FRU) | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan | |
| 10 | 351.85 miles (566.25 km) SE | Qiemo Airport (IQM) | Qiemo, Xinjiang, China | |
| 11 | 372.93 miles (600.16 km) NE | Karamay Airport (KRY) | Karamay, Xinjiang, China | |
| 12 | 393.87 miles (633.87 km) W | Osh International Airport (OSS) | Osh, Kyrgyzstan | |
| 13 | 408.33 miles (657.14 km) ENE | Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport (URC) | Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China | |
| 14 | 418.56 miles (673.61 km) W | Andizhan International Airport (AZN) | Andizhan, Uzbekistan | |
| 15 | 451.10 miles (725.97 km) W | Fergana International Airport (FEG) | Fergana, Uzbekistan | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,317.49 miles (18,213.69 km) SSE | Mataveri International Airport (IPC) | Easter Island, Chile | |
| 2 | 11,105.13 miles (17,871.93 km) WSW | Gamboa Airport (WCA) | Castro, Chile | |
| 3 | 11,102.01 miles (17,866.91 km) W | Pupelde Airfield (ZUD) | Ancud, Los Lagos Region, Chile | |
| 4 | 11,101.16 miles (17,865.54 km) WSW | Mocopulli Airport (MHC) | Castro, Los Lagos, Chile | |
| 5 | 11,061.81 miles (17,802.21 km) W | El Tepual International Airport (PMC) | Puerto Montt, Chile | |
| 6 | 11,057.05 miles (17,794.55 km) W | Frutillar Airport (FRT) | Frutillar, Chile | |
| 7 | 11,053.30 miles (17,788.51 km) WSW | Chaitén Airfield (WCH) | Chaitén, Los Lagos, Chile | |
| 8 | 11,050.65 miles (17,784.25 km) W | Cañal Bajo Carlos Hott Siebert Airport (ZOS) | Osorno, Chile | |
| 9 | 11,040.58 miles (17,768.05 km) WSW | Cochrane Airfield (LGR) | Cochrane, Chile | |
| 10 | 11,038.24 miles (17,764.28 km) W | Pichoy Airport (ZAL) | Valdivia, Chile | |
| 11 | 11,027.27 miles (17,746.63 km) WSW | Teniente Vidal Airfield (GXQ) | Coyhaique, Chile | |
| 12 | 11,006.17 miles (17,712.66 km) WSW | Balmaceda Airport (BBA) | Balmaceda, Chile | |
| 13 | 11,003.00 miles (17,707.57 km) WSW | Chile Chico Airfield (CCH) | Chile Chico, Aisén Region, Chile | |
| 14 | 10,999.82 miles (17,702.45 km) W | Maquehue Airport (ZCO) | Temuco, Araucanía, Chile | |
| 15 | 10,986.88 miles (17,681.62 km) WSW | El Bolsón Airport (EHL) | El Bolsón, Río Negro, Argentina | |