Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Mbeya, Tanzania:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DUR to MBI:
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- About this route
- DUR Airport Information
- MBI Airport Information
- Facts about DUR
- Facts about MBI
- Map of Nearest Airports to DUR
- List of Nearest Airports to DUR
- Map of Furthest Airports from DUR
- List of Furthest Airports from DUR
- Map of Nearest Airports to MBI
- List of Nearest Airports to MBI
- Map of Furthest Airports from MBI
- List of Furthest Airports from MBI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Mbeya Airport (MBI), Mbeya, Tanzania would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,438 miles (or 2,315 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 relatively short distance between King Shaka International and Mbeya Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | DUR / FALE |
| Airport Name: | King Shaka International |
| Location: | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 29°37'0"S by 31°6'29"E |
| Area Served: | Durban, South Africa |
| Operator/Owner: | Dube Tradeport Company |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 295 feet (90 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from DUR |
| More Information: | DUR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | MBI / HTMB |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Mbeya, Tanzania |
| GPS Coordinates: | 8°55'6"S by 33°27'43"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Tanzania |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 5600 feet (1,707 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MBI |
| More Information: | MBI Maps & Info |
Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):
- King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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 project was then hit by a tender war between the Illembe consortium and the Indiza consortium.
- 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.
- 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.
- The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
- The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
- Construction of the airport commenced on 24 August 2007, immediately after the approval of the EIA.
- 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 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.
- On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
Facts about Mbeya Airport (MBI):
- Mbeya Airport (MBI) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Mbeya Airport (MBI) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is located 11,553 miles (18,592 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
- Because of Mbeya Airport's high elevation of 5,600 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MBI. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MBI a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The closest airport to Mbeya Airport (MBI) is Karonga Airport (KGJ), which is located 77 miles (124 kilometers) SSE of MBI.
- In addition to being known as "Mbeya Airport", another name for MBI is "Uwanja wa Ndege wa Mbeya (Swahili)".
