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

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport (ORV), Noorvik, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,817 miles (or 15,799 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 Robert (Bob) Curtis 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 Robert (Bob) Curtis 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):

• 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 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 (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• It is unclear what the fate of the existing Durban International Airport will be now that KSIA is complete.
• Neighbouring communities are Tongaat to the north-west, Verulam to the south-west, and Umdloti to the south-east.
• 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 airport is located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 35 km north of Durban.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• 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.
• On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• 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.

Facts about Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport (ORV):

• The closest airport to Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport (ORV) is Bob Baker Memorial Airport (IAN), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NE of ORV.
• The furthest airport from Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport (ORV) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,251 miles (16,497 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport (ORV) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport", another name for ORV is "D76".
• Because of Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial Airport's relatively low elevation of 55 feet, planes can take off or land at Robert (Bob) Curtis Memorial 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.