Nonstop flight route between Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and West Palm Beach, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), West Palm Beach, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,552 miles (or 13,764 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 Palm Beach County Park 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 Palm Beach County Park 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 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.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
• 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 closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of 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.
• 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.

Facts about Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA):

• The airport was expanded in the 80s with the air right-of-way for runway 9 being contributed by aviation enthusiasts and the right-of-way for runway 27 obtained through court action.
• Because of Palm Beach County Park Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Palm Beach County Park 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.
• Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) has 3 runways.
• The closest airport to Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) N of LNA.
• The furthest airport from Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,589 miles (18,651 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• The Civil Air Patrol continued to use Lantana throughout the 1950s and the field served as the Group 5 Headquarters.