Nonstop flight route between Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong and Falkland Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong and RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN), Falkland Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,357 miles (or 16,668 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 Hong Kong International Airport and RAF Mount Pleasant, 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 Hong Kong International Airport and RAF Mount Pleasant. 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 Hong Kong International Airport (HKG):

• Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) has 2 runways.
• In 2007, HKIA began the construction of a two-storey North Satellite Concourse which opened in December 2009.
• Hong Kong International Airport handled 59,900,000 passengers last year.
• At its opening, Terminal 1 was the largest airport passenger terminal building, with a total gross floor area of 531,000 m².
• The furthest airport from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA), which is nearly antipodal to Hong Kong International Airport (meaning Hong Kong International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport), and is located 12,334 miles (19,850 kilometers) away in Tarija, Bolivia.
• The construction period was very rushed.
• Because of Hong Kong International Airport's relatively low elevation of 28 feet, planes can take off or land at Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is Shun Tak Heliport (HHP), which is located only 15 miles (25 kilometers) E of HKG.
• In addition to being known as "Hong Kong International Airport", other names for HKG include "Chek Lap Kok Airport" and "香港國際機場赤鱲角機場".

Facts about RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN):

• 33 Engineer Regiment provides constant support and is part of the Joint Service Falkland Islands Detachment which consists of RAF and RLC EOD teams.
• There is also a Joint Communications Unit providing the electronic warfare and command and control systems for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
• The closest airport to RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) is Port Stanley Airport (PSY), which is located 30 miles (49 kilometers) ENE of MPN.
• The furthest airport from RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) is Mohe Gulian Airport (OHE), which is nearly antipodal to RAF Mount Pleasant (meaning RAF Mount Pleasant is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mohe Gulian Airport), and is located 12,353 miles (19,879 kilometers) away in Mohe, Heilongjiang, China.
• On 2 April 2012, an Uruguayan air company, Air Class Líneas Aéreas, gained permission from the Uruguayan Ministry of Defence to start a commercial flight to the Falkland Islands.
• The British government felt that Stanley airfield was not the best option for a large, permanent station and decided to construct a new RAF station and make it the centrepiece of considerably strengthened air defences for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
• After the surrender of the Argentine ground forces on the islands, the British still faced the problem of potential Argentine air attacks from Argentina, so an aircraft carrier had to remain on station to guard the islands with its squadron of Sea Harriers until the local airfield was prepared for jet aircraft.