Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Yateley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from ELS to BBS:
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- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- BBS Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about BBS
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to BBS
- List of Nearest Airports to BBS
- Map of Furthest Airports from BBS
- List of Furthest Airports from BBS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Blackbushe Airport (BBS), Yateley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,083 miles (or 9,790 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 East London Airport and Blackbushe 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 East London Airport and Blackbushe Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ELS / FAEL |
Airport Name: | East London Airport |
Location: | East London, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E |
Area Served: | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 436 feet (133 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BBS / EGLK |
Airport Name: | Blackbushe Airport |
Location: | Yateley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°19'26"N by 0°50'51"W |
Operator/Owner: | Blackbushe Airport Ltd |
Airport Type: | Private-owned, Public-use |
Elevation: | 325 feet (99 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BBS |
More Information: | BBS Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.
- The airport was renamed in 1994.
- Because of East London Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at East London 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.
- East London Airport resides at an elevation of 435 feet above mean sea level.
- Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting.
- The furthest airport from East London Airport (ELS) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
Facts about Blackbushe Airport (BBS):
- The furthest airport from Blackbushe Airport (BBS) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,884 miles (19,126 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- It is one of several airfields eclipsed since 1958 by the growth of London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport.
- The closest airport to Blackbushe Airport (BBS) is Farnborough Airport (FAB), which is located only 5 miles (7 kilometers) SE of BBS.
- Because of Blackbushe Airport's relatively low elevation of 325 feet, planes can take off or land at Blackbushe 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.
- Overall, Blackbushe Airport is very significant in the UK's aviation history.
- On 31 May 1960 the airport closed.
- Blackbushe Airport (BBS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The airport started life in 1942 as RAF Hartford Bridge, and it was used by RAF squadrons throughout the remainder of Second World War for reconnaissance, defence and strike operations using Spitfires and Mosquitoes.
- During the next ten years, Blackbushe airport became a major base for a number of UK cargo and charter operators including Airwork Limited, Britavia and British Eagle.