Nonstop flight route between Havana, Cuba and Hambantota, Sri Lanka:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between José Martí International Airport (HAV), Havana, Cuba and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI), Hambantota, Sri Lanka would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,128 miles (or 16,300 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 José Martí International Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa 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 José Martí International Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa 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 José Martí International Airport (HAV):

• Because of José Martí International Airport's relatively low elevation of 210 feet, planes can take off or land at José Martí 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.
• The closest airport to José Martí International Airport (HAV) is Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA), which is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) E of HAV.
• In 2007 three young recruits who deserted from the Cuban army tried to hijack a commercial passenger aircraft aiming to defect to the United States.
• The furthest airport from José Martí International Airport (HAV) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,689 miles (18,811 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• The current Jose Marti Airport in 1930 replaced the Columbia Airfield, which was the first airport to serve Havana.
• In the 1960s the airport was bombed by B-26 aircraft from Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles attempting to liberate Cuba from Fidel Castro.
• José Martí International Airport (HAV) currently has only 1 runway.
• On December 31, 1997 a Concorde landed in Cuba for the first time, landing at José Martí Airport.
• List of the busiest airports in the Caribbean
• In 1961 diplomatic relations with the United States deteriorated substantially and with the United States embargo against Cuba, airlines from the United States were not permitted to operate regular scheduled flights to the airport.
• In addition to being known as "José Martí International Airport", another name for HAV is "Aeropuerto José Martí".

Facts about Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI):

• Construction of phase one began on 27 November 2009 at Mattala.
• It handled nearly 6000 passengers in the first two months after opening.
• As announced earlier the airport was opened for flight operations on 18 March 2013.
• Because of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport's relatively low elevation of 157 feet, planes can take off or land at Mattala Rajapaksa 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.
• In addition to being known as "Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport", another name for HRI is "මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළமத்தல ராஜபக்ஷ பன்னாட்டு விமான நிலையம்".
• The furthest airport from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) is Seymour Airport (GPS), which is located 11,719 miles (18,860 kilometers) away in Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
• The terminal building will be of area 12,000m2 with the capacity to handle 1,000,000 passengers per annum.
• Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) is Weerawila Airport (WRZ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) ESE of HRI.