Nonstop flight route between Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria and Canton Island, Kiribati:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Makurdi Airport (MDI), Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria and Canton Island Airport (CIS), Canton Island, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 12,095 miles (or 19,465 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 Makurdi Airport and Canton Island 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 Makurdi Airport and Canton Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

The distance between MDI and CIS makes them almost exactly antipodal (the exact opposite side of the world) to each other. Nonstop flights between Makurdi Airport and Canton Island Airport would be very impractical for the airlines, because only a lightly loaded Boeing 777-200LR would be able to make the trip. Since airlines need to be able to take as many people and cargo as possible in order to make a profit, the odds of ever seeing a nonstop flight between MDI and CIS are slim to none. However, you'll still be able to get from Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria and Canton Island, Kiribati by taking some connecting flights!

Did you know that one full circling of the Earth (measuring from the equator) is about 24,901.5 miles (or 40,075 kilometers), which means if you were 12,450 miles from any given point on the planet, the distance back to your starting point would be about the same -- in any direction! The same can be said for a nonstop flight between MDI and CIS!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Makurdi Airport (MDI):

• Makurdi Airport (MDI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Makurdi Airport (MDI) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to Makurdi Airport (meaning Makurdi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,095 miles (19,465 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• The closest airport to Makurdi Airport (MDI) is Akanu Ibiam International Airport ( AIIA ) (ENU), which is located 111 miles (179 kilometers) SW of MDI.
• Because of Makurdi Airport's relatively low elevation of 371 feet, planes can take off or land at Makurdi 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.

Facts about Canton Island Airport (CIS):

• Canton Island Airport is an airport located on Kanton Island, in the Phoenix Islands, in the Republic of Kiribati.
• Canton Island Airport (CIS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Though Kanton Island was never physically invaded by Japanese forces, the airfield was bombarded on 1 November 1943 by the Japanese submarine I-36.
• Because of Canton Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Canton Island 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 political status of the island was uncertain at first, with American and British settlers occupying two separate camps on the island.
• The airport was used as a military airfield during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 and 1943, initially being used by the 40th Ferrying Squadron, Ferrying Command as an airfield for moving combat aircraft to forward combat units.
• The furthest airport from Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Malabo International Airport (SSG), which is nearly antipodal to Canton Island Airport (meaning Canton Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Malabo International Airport), and is located 12,363 miles (19,896 kilometers) away in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
• The closest airport to Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Funafuti International Airport (FUN), which is located 741 miles (1,193 kilometers) WSW of CIS.