Nonstop flight route between Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Westsound, Orcas Island, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Westsound Seaplane Base (WSX), Westsound, Orcas Island, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,542 miles (or 16,966 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 Westsound Seaplane Base, 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 Westsound Seaplane Base. 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.
• 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 project was then hit by a tender war between the Illembe consortium and the Indiza consortium.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• The project was revived in the late 1990s when the limitations of Durban International Airport became apparent.
• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• 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.
• In 2013 Skytrax announced that King Shaka International Airport was the best airport in the world handling under 5 million passengers.
• 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.
• 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.
• In response to the study, ACSA contracted De-Tect Inc.

Facts about Westsound Seaplane Base (WSX):

• In addition to being known as "Westsound Seaplane Base", another name for WSX is "WA83".
• Westsound Seaplane Base (WSX) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Westsound Seaplane Base (WSX) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,718 miles (17,249 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The closest airport to Westsound Seaplane Base (WSX) is Rosario Seaplane Base (RSJ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) ENE of WSX.
• Because of Westsound Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Westsound Seaplane Base 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.