Nonstop flight route between Camp Pohakuloa, Hawaii, United States and Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Pōhakuloa Training Area (BSF), Camp Pohakuloa, Hawaii, United States and Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU), Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,127 miles (or 5,033 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 Pōhakuloa Training Area and Fuaʻamotu 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 Pōhakuloa Training Area and Fuaʻamotu 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 Pōhakuloa Training Area (BSF):

• The airstrip was constructed at the area in 1956.
• The name of the current facility comes from puʻu pōhaku loa, which means "long rocky cinder cone" in the Hawaiian Language, although like many other Hawaiian names, the same name has been used for other places on the island.
• The furthest airport from Pōhakuloa Training Area (BSF) is Maun Airport (MUB), which is nearly antipodal to Pōhakuloa Training Area (meaning Pōhakuloa Training Area is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maun Airport), and is located 12,381 miles (19,925 kilometers) away in Maun, Botswana.
• The area of 108,863 acres is the largest United States Department of Defense installation in the state of Hawaii, or anywhere in the Pacific.
• The closest airport to Pōhakuloa Training Area (BSF) is Waimea-Kohala Airport (MUE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of BSF.
• Weapons such as the Davy Crockett nuclear rifle and depleted Uranium have been used at PTA.

Facts about Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU):

• Some short-haul international flights such as to Fiji or American Samoa also operate from Vavaʻu Island's Lupepauʻu Airport from time to time.
• Under Tongan law, Fuaʻamotu International Airport is closed on Sundays — only to be opened in distress, after the minister's approval.
• Fuaʻamotu International Airport is equipped with VOR/DME and NDB navigational facilities.
• The closest airport to Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) is Lifuka Island Airport (HPA), which is located 114 miles (183 kilometers) NNE of TBU.
• The furthest airport from Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) is Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport (TMR), which is nearly antipodal to Fuaʻamotu International Airport (meaning Fuaʻamotu International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport), and is located 12,322 miles (19,830 kilometers) away in Tamanrasset, Algeria.
• Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) has 2 runways.
• Because of Fuaʻamotu International Airport's relatively low elevation of 126 feet, planes can take off or land at Fuaʻamotu 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.
• It is the strength of the runway rather than the length that restricts operations from Fuaʻamotu.