Nonstop flight route between Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States and Cape Town, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chennault International Airport (CWF), Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), Cape Town, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,508 miles (or 13,692 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 Chennault International Airport and Cape Town 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 Chennault International Airport and Cape Town 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 Chennault International Airport (CWF):

• Chennault International Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles east of the central business district of Lake Charles, a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States.
• Because of Chennault International Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Chennault International 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 Chennault International Airport (CWF) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,037 miles (17,763 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• It was previously Chennault Air Force Base and before that, Lake Charles Air Force Base' and Lake Charles Army Air Field, and as such, was home to the now inactivated 44th Bombardment Wing in the 1950s and 1960s.
• The closest airport to Chennault International Airport (CWF) is Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) SW of CWF.
• While a fully operational airport, it is an industrial center and provides no commercial air services.
• Chennault International Airport (CWF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The site was officially designated by NASA as an alternative landing site for the Space Shuttle.

Facts about Cape Town International Airport (CPT):

• The furthest airport from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,616 miles (18,693 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 217 miles (349 kilometers) E of CPT.
• The following is an example of information required by aircrew to operate at this airport.
• Cape Town International Airport recorded 7.8 million passengers in 2008–2009, down from 8.4 million passengers the year before.
• Because of Cape Town International Airport's relatively low elevation of 151 feet, planes can take off or land at Cape Town International 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.
• Cape Town International Airport (CPT) has 2 runways.
• Cape Town International Airport was opened in 1954, a year after Jan Smuts Airport on the Witwatersrand opened.
• Cape Town International Airport handled 8,505,563 passengers last year.
• The only hotel located within the airport precinct is the budget Road Lodge, owned by the City Lodge hotel chain group.
• Apart from completion of the 2010 expansion project, it has been proposed that a second runway for large aircraft be constructed at Cape Town International Airport.