Nonstop flight route between Lifuka, Ha'apai, Tonga and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lifuka Island Airport (HPA), Lifuka, Ha'apai, Tonga and Tinker Air Force Base (TIK), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,309 miles (or 10,154 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 Lifuka Island Airport and Tinker Air Force Base, 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 Lifuka Island Airport and Tinker Air Force Base. 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 Lifuka Island Airport (HPA):

• The closest airport to Lifuka Island Airport (HPA) is Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU), which is located 114 miles (183 kilometers) SSW of HPA.
• The furthest airport from Lifuka Island Airport (HPA) is In Guezzam Airport (INF), which is nearly antipodal to Lifuka Island Airport (meaning Lifuka Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from In Guezzam Airport), and is located 12,421 miles (19,989 kilometers) away in In Guezzam, Algeria.
• Lifuka Island Airport (HPA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Lifuka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 31 feet, planes can take off or land at Lifuka Island 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 "Lifuka Island Airport", another name for HPA is "Salote Pilolevu Airport".

Facts about Tinker Air Force Base (TIK):

• The furthest airport from Tinker Air Force Base (TIK) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,843 miles (17,449 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Tinker Air Force Base (TIK) is Will Rogers World Airport (OKC), which is located only 12 miles (20 kilometers) W of TIK.
• The 552d Air Control Wing flies Air Combat Command's E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft.
• STRATCOMWING ONE's primary mission is to receive, verify and retransmit Emergency Action Messages to US strategic forces.
• Tinker is the headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command's Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, software and avionics and accessories components.
• The 137th Air Refueling Wing flies the KC-135R in conjunction with the 507th Air Refueling Wing, having assumed an aerial refueling mission in 2008.
• The second of the public-private partnerships is Building 9001, originally known as the Tinker Aerospace Complex housed in the former General Motors Oklahoma City Assembly Plant located west of the runway on the south side of the base, north of I-240.
• In addition to being known as "Tinker Air Force Base", another name for TIK is "Tinker AFB".