Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Chefornak, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Chefornak Airport (CYF), Chefornak, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,209 miles (or 16,430 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 King Shaka International and Chefornak 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 King Shaka International and Chefornak 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 King Shaka International (DUR):

• The furthest airport from King Shaka International (DUR) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,682 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
• Despite wide expectations that the airport would be named "King Shaka International Airport", it emerged in October 2009 that the airport needed to undergo a formal naming process.
• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• In 2013 Skytrax announced that King Shaka International Airport was the best airport in the world handling under 5 million passengers.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport forms part of the Dube Tradeport, which will additionally consist of a trade zone linked to the airport's cargo terminal, facilities to support the airport such as nearby offices and transit accommodation for tourists, an integrated agricultural export zone, and an IT platform.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• The final obstacle was a delay in the approval of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
• Because of King Shaka International's relatively low elevation of 295 feet, planes can take off or land at King Shaka International 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 Chefornak Airport (CYF):

• Chefornak Airport (CYF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Chefornak Airport (CYF) is Kipnuk Airport (KPN), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) SSE of CYF.
• In addition to being known as "Chefornak Airport", another name for CYF is "CFK".
• Because of Chefornak Airport's relatively low elevation of 40 feet, planes can take off or land at Chefornak 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 Chefornak Airport (CYF) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,623 miles (17,096 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
• A new airstrip has been built further out from the village due to concerns with the current airstrip being near the school and pedestrian traffic, however, the runway must settle for several years before it is ready to be used.