Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Kigali, Rwanda:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from ELS to KGL:
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- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- KGL Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about KGL
- 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 KGL
- List of Nearest Airports to KGL
- Map of Furthest Airports from KGL
- List of Furthest Airports from KGL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Kigali International Airport (KGL), Kigali, Rwanda would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,152 miles (or 3,463 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 relatively short distance between East London Airport and Kigali International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
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: | KGL / HRYR |
Airport Name: | Kigali International Airport |
Location: | Kigali, Rwanda |
GPS Coordinates: | 1°57'59"S by 30°7'59"E |
Area Served: | Kigali |
Operator/Owner: | Rwanda Airports Authority |
Airport Type: | Civil aviation airport |
Elevation: | 4891 feet (1,491 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KGL |
More Information: | KGL Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
- 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.
- East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape.
- 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.
Facts about Kigali International Airport (KGL):
- The closest airport to Kigali International Airport (KGL) is Kirundo Airport (KRE), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) S of KGL.
- In 2004, the airport served 135,189 passengers.
- The furthest airport from Kigali International Airport (KGL) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is located 11,920 miles (19,183 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
- Because of Kigali International Airport's high elevation of 4,891 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at KGL. Combined with a high temperature, this could make KGL a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- Kigali International Airport (KGL) currently has only 1 runway.
- There are plans to replace the current airport with a new one located south of Kigali on the south side of the Nyabarongo River in Bugesera.