Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Maxton, North Carolina, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MXE), Maxton, North Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,358 miles (or 13,451 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 Laurinburg-Maxton 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 Laurinburg-Maxton Airport. 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 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.
• East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
• In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
• East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape.
• East London Airport resides at an elevation of 435 feet above mean sea level.
• 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.
• 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 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 Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MXE):

• Because of Laurinburg-Maxton Airport's relatively low elevation of 220 feet, planes can take off or land at Laurinburg-Maxton 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 Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MXE) is Mackall Army Airfield (HFF), which is located only 18 miles (30 kilometers) NNW of MXE.
• In 2006 the forward fuselage of Northwest Airline’s first 747-100 was removed from the aircraft at Maxton by Guard-Lee for installation in the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington DC.
• Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MXE) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Laurinburg-Maxton Airport", another name for MXE is "MEB".
• Laurinburg-Maxton Airport is a public use airport located three miles north of the central business district of Maxton and east of Laurinburg.
• The furthest airport from Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (MXE) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,610 miles (18,685 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.