Nonstop flight route between Alliance, Nebraska, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA), Alliance, Nebraska, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,111 miles (or 11,444 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 Alliance Municipal Airport and Buka 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 Alliance Municipal Airport and Buka Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA):

• In addition to being known as "Alliance Municipal Airport", another name for AIA is "(former Alliance Army Airfield)".
• Alliance Municipal Airport is in Box Butte County, Nebraska, three miles southeast of the city of Alliance, which owns it.Great Lakes Airlines scheduled passenger flights are subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
• The furthest airport from Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,697 miles (17,215 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA) is Western Nebraska Regional Airport (BFF), which is located 43 miles (68 kilometers) WSW of AIA.
• Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 1,786 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 1,395 in 2009 and 1,416 in 2010.
• Though speculation was that the Army would make the huge Alliance airfield a permanent installation, by November 20 the Troop Carrier Command closed the facility permanently and began to make plans to sell the surplus property.
• In addition to the USAAF units, the Army 326th Glider Infantry, 507th Parachute Infantry, and 878th Airborne Engineers trained at Alliance before deployment to the European Theater.
• Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA) has 3 runways.

Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):

• Because of Buka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 11 feet, planes can take off or land at Buka 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 furthest airport from Buka Island Airport (BUA) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
• On 26 July, an Imperial Japanese Navy special detachment was sent to inspect Buka Airfield, but considered it unacceptable as a prospect for a speedily constructed major airfield.