Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Houghton Lake, Michigan, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial Airport (HTL), Houghton Lake, Michigan, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,845 miles (or 14,234 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 Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial 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 Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial 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 terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• 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 closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• Although the larger airport was built to grow the area's international services, it is also a key airport for domestic services throughout South Africa, serving the "Golden Triangle" between Cape Town International Airport, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, and KSIA itself with 7 airlines.
• It is unclear what the fate of the existing Durban International Airport will be now that KSIA is complete.
• In 2013 Skytrax announced that King Shaka International Airport was the best airport in the world handling under 5 million passengers.
• 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.
• As a result, a study into the risks of bird strikes at KSIA was commissioned, with special attention being paid to the Barn Swallows at Mount Moreland.

Facts about Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial Airport (HTL):

• Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial Airport (HTL) has 2 runways.
• It was known as Roscommon County Airport until 2005, when it was named to honor Terry Blodgett, the airport's manager from 1987 until his death in 2004, and his father Francis Blodgett, airport manager from 1959 to 1981.
• The closest airport to Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial Airport (HTL) is Gladwin Zettel Memorial Airport (GDW), which is located 29 miles (46 kilometers) SSE of HTL.
• The furthest airport from Roscommon County - Blodgett Memorial Airport (HTL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,161 miles (17,962 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.