Nonstop flight route between Hambantota, Sri Lanka and Istanbul, Turkey:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI), Hambantota, Sri Lanka and İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), Istanbul, Turkey would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,978 miles (or 6,402 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 Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen 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 Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen 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 Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI):

• The closest airport to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) is Weerawila Airport (WRZ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) ESE of HRI.
• Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• On 16 October 2012, a Hawker Beechcraft B200 King Air registered AP-CAB, belonging to the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan landed on runway 23 at 12.38 PM local time becoming the first aircraft to land at the new airport as requested by the Rajapaksa regime.
• Construction of phase one began on 27 November 2009 at Mattala.
• Domestic carriers Helitours and Cinnamon Air offer charter flights that connect the airport with Ratmalana Airport and Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.
• On October 2012, the Super King 20 Test Aircraft, which belongs to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Department and features a dual engine, landed on the new runway to test the newly constructed runway and the instrumentation.
• In addition to being known as "Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport", another name for HRI is "මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළமத்தல ராஜபக்ஷ பன்னாட்டு விமான நிலையம்".
• Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Hambantota in southeast Sri Lanka.
• 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.

Facts about İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW):

• İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport handled 1,864,184 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) WNW of SAW.
• The new terminal was inaugurated on 31 October 2009.
• In addition to being known as "İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport", another name for SAW is "Sabiha Gökçen Uluslararası Havalimanı".
• The furthest airport from İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,160 miles (17,961 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• The bus lines listed above are often much more comfortable option than using Metrobüs.
• The new terminal building of 25 million annual passenger capacity conducts domestic and international flights under one roof.
• The airport's cargo terminal has a capacity of 90,000 tons per year and is equipped with 18 cold storage depots.
• Because of İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport's relatively low elevation of 312 feet, planes can take off or land at İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen 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.
• İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) currently has only 1 runway.
• HAVAŞ shuttle services have been stopped in Greater Istanbul Metropolitan Area.