Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and San Diego / El Cajon, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from ELS to SEE:
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- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- SEE Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about SEE
- 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 SEE
- List of Nearest Airports to SEE
- Map of Furthest Airports from SEE
- List of Furthest Airports from SEE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Gillespie Field (SEE), San Diego / El Cajon, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,405 miles (or 16,745 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 Gillespie Field, 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 Gillespie Field. 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: | SEE / KSEE |
Airport Name: | Gillespie Field |
Location: | San Diego / El Cajon, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°49'33"N by 116°58'20"W |
Area Served: | San Diego, California |
Operator/Owner: | County of San Diego |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 388 feet (118 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from SEE |
More Information: | SEE Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.
Facts about Gillespie Field (SEE):
- Gillespie Field (SEE) has 3 runways.
- In February 1944, the camp was commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie under the command of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.
- Because of Gillespie Field's relatively low elevation of 388 feet, planes can take off or land at Gillespie Field 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 Gillespie Field (SEE) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,534 miles (18,562 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Gillespie is the home of the restoration facility Gillespie Field Annex for the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
- The closest airport to Gillespie Field (SEE) is Montgomery Field (MYF), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) W of SEE.