Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Hengchun, Taiwan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Hengchun Airport (HCN), Hengchun, Taiwan would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,935 miles (or 11,161 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 Hengchun 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 Hengchun 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):

• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• 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.
• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Hengchun Airport (HCN):

• The airport construction was finished in 2003 and opened to public in 2004 with a cost of NT$ 539,000,000.
• Hengchun Airport (HCN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Hengchun Airport (HCN) is Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport (ESG), which is nearly antipodal to Hengchun Airport (meaning Hengchun Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport), and is located 12,350 miles (19,876 kilometers) away in Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay.
• Due to its location, the airport experiences strong Katabatic wind and is forced to close.
• In addition to being known as "Hengchun Airport", other names for HCN include "恆春航空站恆春機場" and "Héngchūn HángkōngzhànHéngchūn Jīchǎng".
• Because of Hengchun Airport's relatively low elevation of 46 feet, planes can take off or land at Hengchun 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 Hengchun Airport (HCN) is Kaohsiung International Airport (Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport) (KHH), which is located 44 miles (72 kilometers) NNW of HCN.