Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY), Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,823 miles (or 9,372 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 Nyingchi Mainling 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 Nyingchi Mainling 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 airport is located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 35 km north of Durban.
• 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.
• 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.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• On 27 January 2014 the worlds largest passenger aircraft, an Airbus A380-800 of British Airways landed at KSIA becoming the first A380 to do so.
• The largest aircraft KSIA currently has scheduled services for is the Boeing 777-300ER, with Emirates operating Dubai–Durban, despite the fact that KSIA's runway length and terminal were designed to theoretically handle regular large airliners.
• It is unclear what the fate of the existing Durban International Airport will be now that KSIA is complete.

Facts about Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY):

• The closest airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) is Along Airport (IXV), which is located 83 miles (133 kilometers) SSE of LZY.
• Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is located 11,567 miles (18,616 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.
• Because of Nyingchi Mainling Airport's high elevation of 9,675 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LZY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LZY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Known as one of the world's most difficult airports for aircraft to reach, Nyingchi Airport is situated in the valley of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Southeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, surrounded by over-4,000 metres -high mountains enveloped by clouds and fog throughout the year.
• The first landing of a commercial aircraft was made by an Air China Boeing 757 without passengers on July 12, 2006.
• In addition to being known as "Nyingchi Mainling Airport", other names for LZY include "林芝米林机场" and "Línzhī Mǐlín Jīchǎng".