Nonstop flight route between Esmeraldas, Ecuador and Kandahar, Afghanistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM), Esmeraldas, Ecuador and Kabul International Airport (KDH), Kandahar, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,252 miles (or 14,889 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 Carlos Concha Torres International Airport and Kabul International 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 Carlos Concha Torres International Airport and Kabul International 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 Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM):

• Because of Carlos Concha Torres International Airport's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Carlos Concha Torres International 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.
• Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM) is Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), which is located 116 miles (186 kilometers) SE of ESM.
• The furthest airport from Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM) is Minangkabau International Airport (MIA) (PDG), which is nearly antipodal to Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (meaning Carlos Concha Torres International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Minangkabau International Airport (MIA)), and is located 12,422 miles (19,991 kilometers) away in Ketaping, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Facts about Kabul International Airport (KDH):

• In addition to being known as "Kabul International Airport", other names for KDH include "Kandahar International Airport (Kandahar)" and "میدان هوایی بین المللی کندهار".
• Kabul International Airport (KDH) currently has only 1 runway.
• Kandahar International Airport is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan.
• The Afghan government has been slow in rebuilding the facility, the vast majority of it has been reclaimed from years of neglect and damage by Soviet and Taliban soldiers.
• The furthest airport from Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Kabul International Airport (meaning Kabul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,023 miles (19,349 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The airport came into the public eye during the tense drama that was played out when Pakistani terrorists belonging to Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, who hijacked and landed Indian Airlines Flight 814 on the airfield in December 1999, ordered the Government of India to ensure the release and safe-passage of three alleged Pakistani terrorists in return for letting the occupants of the passenger plane leave without harm.
• The deployments in February 2006 brought Task Force Afghanistan in Kandahar to about 2,250 personnel.
• As part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy also had based a squadron of Harrier GR7A aircraft at Kandahar Airfield to provide close air support to coalition ground forces replacing USMC AV-8B's.
• The closest airport to Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Tarin Kowt Airport (TII), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) N of KDH.
• A perimeter was quickly secured around the terminal building and airstrip, and initially all troops worked and lived in and around the main terminal building itself.