Nonstop flight route between Austin, Texas, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,460 miles (or 12,006 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 Austin–Bergstrom International 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 Austin–Bergstrom International 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 Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS):

• Bergstrom had the designator BSM until Mueller's final closure in 1999, when it took Mueller's IATA code of AUS.
• Mueller's longest runway was 7,000 feet and by the late 1990s, the passenger terminal was operating at full capacity with 16 gates.
• Austin–Bergstrom International Airport handled 10,017,958 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is Austin Executive Airport (EDC), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) NNE of AUS.
• A new dedicated facility known as the South Terminal Austin was approved by the Austin City Council in order to accommodate the arrival of Mexican-based, low-cost airline, VivaAerobus, which launched operations on May 1, 2008.
• A consolidated rental car facility is under construction that will move counter, pick up, and drop off facilities to a new 900 space structure adjacent to the existing parking garage, allowing currently utilized spaces to be converted to additional close-in short term parking.
• Robert Mueller Airport remained open for general aviation use through June 22, 1999, at which point it was closed to passenger traffic indefinitely.
• Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,050 miles (17,783 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• In the 1950s, developers began building residential areas beneath the flight paths of Mueller and, in parallel, the number of arrivals and departures at the airport increased dramatically because of the growth of the city.
• Because of Austin–Bergstrom International Airport's relatively low elevation of 542 feet, planes can take off or land at Austin–Bergstrom International 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 Buka Island Airport (BUA):

• The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of 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 origins of the airfield begin in 1941 when Australian troops built gun pits around a primitive airstrip in December 1941.
• 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.
• It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
• Today the airport is the primary air portal into Bougainville, and even 60 years after the war, wreckage from the military use of the airfield by the Japanese and Americans is easily found in the area.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.