Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Don Muang, Bangkok, Thailand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), Don Muang, Bangkok, Thailand would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,515 miles (or 8,876 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 Don Mueang 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 King Shaka International and Don Mueang 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 King Shaka International (DUR):

• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• In 2013 Skytrax announced that King Shaka International Airport was the best airport in the world handling under 5 million passengers.
• In response to the study, ACSA contracted De-Tect Inc.
• 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.
• 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.
• Construction of the airport commenced on 24 August 2007, immediately after the approval of the EIA.
• The arrivals area is located on the lower floor, with a baggage reclaim hall containing 5 conveyors that can be allocated between domestic and international use.
• 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.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Don Mueang International Airport (DMK):

• The night of 27–28 September 2006 was the official end of operations at Don Mueang airport.
• The closest airport to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) SSE of DMK.
• An RTAF golf course is located between the two runways.
• Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) has 2 runways.
• On 30 January 2007, the Ministry of Transport recommended temporarily reopening Don Mueang while touch up work process on some taxiways at Suvarnabhumi proceeds.
• Because of Don Mueang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Don Mueang 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.
• Because of the 2011 Thailand floods that affected Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, the airport was closed as flood waters flowed on to the runways and affected the lighting.
• In addition to being known as "Don Mueang International Airport", another name for DMK is "ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง".
• Although initially deserted by commercial carriers upon the opening of the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the higher costs of the new airport to operators as well as safety concerns over cracked runways at the new airport caused many to seek a return to Don Mueang.
• In 1933, the airfield was the scene of heavy fighting between royalists and government forces during the Boworadet Rebellion.
• The furthest airport from Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), which is nearly antipodal to Don Mueang International Airport (meaning Don Mueang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Jorge Chávez International Airport), and is located 12,235 miles (19,691 kilometers) away in Callao (near Lima), Peru.