Nonstop flight route between Groningen / Eelde, Netherlands and East London, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GRQ to ELS:
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- About this route
- GRQ Airport Information
- ELS Airport Information
- Facts about GRQ
- Facts about ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to GRQ
- List of Nearest Airports to GRQ
- Map of Furthest Airports from GRQ
- List of Furthest Airports from GRQ
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ), Groningen / Eelde, Netherlands and East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,089 miles (or 9,798 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 Groningen Airport Eelde and East London 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 Groningen Airport Eelde and East London Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GRQ / EHGG |
Airport Name: | Groningen Airport Eelde |
Location: | Groningen / Eelde, Netherlands |
GPS Coordinates: | 53°7'30"N by 6°34'59"E |
Area Served: | Groningen, Netherlands |
Operator/Owner: | Groningen Airport Eelde NV |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 17 feet (5 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from GRQ |
More Information: | GRQ Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ):
- Groningen Airport Eelde handled 20,866 passengers last year.
- With the airport becoming more crowded due to holiday flights, it was decided to join the two existing passenger halls together.
- On August 16, 1954, the Rijksluchtvaartschool – or National Aviation Academy in English – moved to the airport from Gilze-Rijen.
- In 1956, the airport was renamed as "Luchthaven Eelde NV".
- The closest airport to Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ) is Emden Airport (EME), which is located 32 miles (52 kilometers) NE of GRQ.
- The furthest airport from Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,778 miles (18,956 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The first landing of a European aeroplane took place on July 13, 1958.
- Because of Groningen Airport Eelde's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Groningen Airport Eelde 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.
- Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ) has 2 runways.
- During World War II, between 1940 and 1945, the airport was occupied by the German Military.
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.
- 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.
- The airport was renamed in 1994.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- 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.