Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Salamanca, Spain:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM), Salamanca, Spain would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,409 miles (or 8,704 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 Salamanca-Matacán 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 Salamanca-Matacán 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):

• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• 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.
• 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.
• The cargo terminal will form one component of the Dube TradePort's TradeZone Precinct, which will additionally be home to trade and logistics warehousing as well as cargo and light industry activities that require quick access to air cargo services, and will cover an area of 36 hectares.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• The project was revived in the late 1990s when the limitations of Durban International Airport became apparent.
• 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.

Facts about Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM):

• In addition to being known as "Salamanca-Matacán Airport", another name for SLM is "Aeropuerto de Salamanca-Matacán".
• Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM) is Valladolid International Airport (VLL), which is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) NNE of SLM.
• The furthest airport from Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM) is Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ), which is nearly antipodal to Salamanca-Matacán Airport (meaning Salamanca-Matacán Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kapiti Coast Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand.
• Salamanca-Matacán Airport handled 15,830 passengers last year.