Nonstop flight route between Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and San Francisco, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,631 miles (or 12,280 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 Kota Kinabalu International Airport and San Francisco International 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 Kota Kinabalu International Airport and San Francisco International 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 Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI):

• In addition to being known as "Kota Kinabalu International Airport", another name for BKI is "Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu".
• Because of Kota Kinabalu International Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Kota Kinabalu 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.
• The closest airport to Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) is Lapangan Terbang Keningau Keningau Airport (KGU), which is located 41 miles (67 kilometers) S of BKI.
• In mid-2005, the Malaysian government approved a project for major renovation and extension of KKIA worth RM1.4 billion.
• Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) currently has only 1 runway.
• Kota Kinabalu International Airport handled 6,929,692 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) is Lábrea Airport (LBR), which is nearly antipodal to Kota Kinabalu International Airport (meaning Kota Kinabalu International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Lábrea Airport), and is located 12,330 miles (19,843 kilometers) away in Lábrea, Amazonas, Brazil.
• What is today Terminal 2 used to be the original terminal building of the airport when it was first built.
• After the war, the Department of Civil Aviation of North Borneo took charge of the operations and maintenance of the airport.
• Terminal 1 is the main terminal of KKIA located at Kepayan area.
• The Departure Hall column head design is inspired by the 'Wakid' basket design.
• Kota Kinabalu International Airport serves the city of Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia.

Facts about San Francisco International Airport (SFO):

• The first international nonstops were ANA/BCPA DC-4s to Vancouver in 1946-47.
• The FAA has warned that the airport's control tower would be unable to withstand a major earthquake and has requested that it be replaced.
• The closest airport to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) SW of SFO.
• The airport opened on May 7, 1927, on 150 acres of cow pasture.
• San Francisco International Airport handled 44,477,209 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Before the 1930s, airports used a two-byte abbreviation.
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has 4 runways.
• For lack of space, the terminal was built on top of the airport's main access road at enormous expense, completing the continuous ring of terminals.
• Because of San Francisco International Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at San Francisco 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.
• Terminal 2, formerly known as the "Central Terminal," opened in 1954 as the main airport terminal.