Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Biratnagar, Nepal:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from ELS to BIR:
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- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- BIR Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about BIR
- 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 BIR
- List of Nearest Airports to BIR
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIR
- List of Furthest Airports from BIR
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Biratnagar Airport (BIR), Biratnagar, Nepal would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,669 miles (or 9,123 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 Biratnagar 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 Biratnagar 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: | BIR / VNVT |
Airport Name: | Biratnagar Airport |
Location: | Biratnagar, Nepal |
GPS Coordinates: | 26°28'53"N by 87°15'50"E |
Area Served: | Biratnagar, Nepal |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 236 feet (72 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BIR |
More Information: | BIR Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting.
- The airport was renamed in 1994.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- 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.
- 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 (ELS) has 2 runways.
Facts about Biratnagar Airport (BIR):
- The airport boasts the highest domestic traffic.
- The furthest airport from Biratnagar Airport (BIR) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,408 miles (18,359 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
- The closest airport to Biratnagar Airport (BIR) is Bhojpur Airport (BHP), which is located 48 miles (77 kilometers) NNW of BIR.
- List of airports in Nepal
- Because of Biratnagar Airport's relatively low elevation of 236 feet, planes can take off or land at Biratnagar 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.
- Nepal government owned and operated, Biratnagar Airport began its service on 6 July 1958, the same year the nation's first Royal Nepal Airlines began its scheduled domestic and international flights.
- Biratnagar Airport (BIR) currently has only 1 runway.