Nonstop flight route between Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Kwajalein, Marshall Islands:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BUA to KWA:
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- About this route
- BUA Airport Information
- KWA Airport Information
- Facts about BUA
- Facts about KWA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BUA
- List of Nearest Airports to BUA
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUA
- List of Furthest Airports from BUA
- Map of Nearest Airports to KWA
- List of Nearest Airports to KWA
- Map of Furthest Airports from KWA
- List of Furthest Airports from KWA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA), Kwajalein, Marshall Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,328 miles (or 2,138 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 relatively short distance between Buka Island Airport and Bucholz Army Airfield, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BUA / AYBK |
Airport Name: | Buka Island Airport |
Location: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°25'19"S by 154°40'21"E |
Area Served: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 11 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUA |
More Information: | BUA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KWA / PKWA |
Airport Name: | Bucholz Army Airfield |
Location: | Kwajalein, Marshall Islands |
GPS Coordinates: | 8°43'12"N by 167°43'54"E |
Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 9 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KWA |
More Information: | KWA Maps & Info |
Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):
- 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.
- There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
- 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 closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
- In 2004, the airport experienced some closures due to land disputes.
- It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
- 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.
Facts about Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA):
- Along with the heavy bomber groups, the USAAF reassigned the F-5 -equipped 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron to Kwajalein to fly long-range photographic missions over the Marshalls and reported directly to Headquarters, Seventh Air Force.
- The furthest airport from Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is nearly antipodal to Bucholz Army Airfield (meaning Bucholz Army Airfield is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from RAF Ascension), and is located 12,283 miles (19,767 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
- Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA) currently has only 1 runway.
- After the seizure from the Japanese, Kwajalein was developed into a major American base and staging area for further campaigns in the advance on the Japanese homeland.
- After the war, the United States used Kwajalein as a main command center and preparation base for Operation Crossroads and an extensive series of nuclear tests at the Marshalls' atolls of Bikini and Enewetak.
- Because of Bucholz Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Bucholz Army Airfield 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.
- Bucholz Army Airfield was initially built by the Japanese in 1943 as part of a large naval base.
- The closest airport to Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA) is Ebadon Airstrip (EBN), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) SSE of KWA.