Nonstop flight route between Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Shymkent, Kazakhstan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Shymkent International Airport (CIT), Shymkent, Kazakhstan would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,227 miles (or 10,021 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 Buka Island Airport and Shymkent 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 Buka Island Airport and Shymkent 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 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.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 origins of the airfield begin in 1941 when Australian troops built gun pits around a primitive airstrip in December 1941.
• 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.
• It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
• There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
• In January 1944, the Allies drove the Japanese out of Buka, and the airfield was used for operations against the Japanese over New Guinea.

Facts about Shymkent International Airport (CIT):

• Shymkent International Airport (CIT) has 3 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Shymkent International Airport", another name for CIT is "Халықаралық Шымкент Әуежайы".
• The furthest airport from Shymkent International Airport (CIT) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,385 miles (18,322 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The closest airport to Shymkent International Airport (CIT) is Tashkent International Airport (TAS), which is located 77 miles (124 kilometers) S of CIT.
• After a protocol signed in November 2012 by the governments of Kazakhstan and France, French forces withdrawing from Afghanistan received authorization to use Shymkent Airport.