Nonstop flight route between Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Araxos / Patras, Greece:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Araxos Airport (GPA), Araxos / Patras, Greece would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,740 miles (or 14,066 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 Araxos 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 Araxos 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):

• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• In January 1944, the Allies drove the Japanese out of Buka, and the airfield was used for operations against the Japanese over New Guinea.
• The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
• The origins of the airfield begin in 1941 when Australian troops built gun pits around a primitive airstrip in December 1941.

Facts about Araxos Airport (GPA):

• Araxos airport is located 45 km west of the city of Patras and 60 km north of Pyrgos.
• The airport has served as the home base of the Hellenic Air Force's 116th Combat Wing since May 1969, and of its precursor the 116th Combat Group since April 1962.
• The closest airport to Araxos Airport (GPA) is Agrinio Airport (AGQ), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) N of GPA.
• Araxos Airport (GPA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Araxos Airport (GPA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,428 miles (18,392 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Araxos Airport", another name for GPA is "Αεροδρόμιο Αράξου".
• Because of Araxos Airport's relatively low elevation of 46 feet, planes can take off or land at Araxos 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.