Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Old Harbor, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Old Harbor Airport (OLH), Old Harbor, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,518 miles (or 16,927 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 Old Harbor 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 Old Harbor 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 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Neighbouring communities are Tongaat to the north-west, Verulam to the south-west, and Umdloti to the south-east.
• One of the objectives of the cargo terminal is to recapture local air freight traffic from JNB.
• It is unclear what the fate of the existing Durban International Airport will be now that KSIA is complete.
• In response to the study, ACSA contracted De-Tect Inc.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• 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.

Facts about Old Harbor Airport (OLH):

• In addition to being known as "Old Harbor Airport", another name for OLH is "6R7".
• The furthest airport from Old Harbor Airport (OLH) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,831 miles (17,430 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Because of Old Harbor Airport's relatively low elevation of 55 feet, planes can take off or land at Old Harbor 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 Old Harbor Airport (OLH) is Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS), which is located 27 miles (43 kilometers) NW of OLH.
• Old Harbor Airport (OLH) currently has only 1 runway.