Nonstop flight route between Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Modesto, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea and Modesto City-County Airport (MOD), Modesto, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,141 miles (or 9,883 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 Modesto City-County 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 Modesto City-County 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.
• 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.
• There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
• The origins of the airfield begin in 1941 when Australian troops built gun pits around a primitive airstrip in December 1941.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Modesto City-County Airport (MOD):

• Scheduled passenger flights started in 1946 when United Airlines opened its new terminal and began the Valley Queen service.
• The closest airport to Modesto City-County Airport (MOD) is NASA Crows Landing Airport (NRC), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) SSW of MOD.
• Modesto City-County Airport (MOD) has 2 runways.
• In January 2010 the airport attracted periodic leisure charter flights on Boeing 737-400 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets to Laughlin and West Wendover, NV.
• The furthest airport from Modesto City-County Airport (MOD) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,314 miles (18,208 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In addition to being known as "Modesto City-County Airport", other names for MOD include "Harry Sham Field" and "Modesto Auxiliary Airfield".
• Because of Modesto City-County Airport's relatively low elevation of 97 feet, planes can take off or land at Modesto City-County 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.