Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from ELS to HHI:
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- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- HHI Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about HHI
- 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 HHI
- List of Nearest Airports to HHI
- Map of Furthest Airports from HHI
- List of Furthest Airports from HHI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Wheeler AAF (HHI), Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 11,562 miles (or 18,607 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 Wheeler AAF, 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 Wheeler AAF. 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: | HHI / PHHI |
Airport Name: | Wheeler AAF |
Location: | Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 21°29'4"N by 158°2'22"W |
Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 843 feet (257 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from HHI |
More Information: | HHI Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- The airport had an inauspicious beginning in 1927, when Lieut Colonel Alistair Miller asked the East London town council to help establish a municipal aerodrome at Woodbrook, west of the city.
- In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
- 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.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- 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.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
Facts about Wheeler AAF (HHI):
- The furthest airport from Wheeler AAF (HHI) is Ghanzi Airport (GNZ), which is nearly antipodal to Wheeler AAF (meaning Wheeler AAF is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ghanzi Airport), and is located 12,413 miles (19,976 kilometers) away in Ghanzi, Botswana.
- According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 2.3 square miles.
- A subordinate unit of the 15th Air Base Wing, the 15 ABS served as the host organization at Wheeler AFB, which consisted of approximately 1,389 acres of land and facilities valued at over $37 million.
- Wheeler AAF (HHI) currently has only 1 runway.
- By 1940, Wheeler Field had evolved into a primary base for Army Air Corps pursuit aircraft such as the P-40 Warhawk, responsible for air defense of the Hawaiian Islands Territory.
- Because of Wheeler AAF's relatively low elevation of 843 feet, planes can take off or land at Wheeler AAF 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 Wheeler AAF (HHI) is Dillingham Airfield (HDH), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) WNW of HHI.