Nonstop flight route between Jacksonville, Florida, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Jacksonville, Florida, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,398 miles (or 13,515 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 Jacksonville International Airport and Buka Island 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 Jacksonville International Airport and Buka Island 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 Jacksonville International Airport (JAX):

• On October 1, 2013, at around 6:30 p.m.
• The closest airport to Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is Imeson FieldJacksonville Army AirfieldNaval Auxiliary Air Station Jacksonville #1 (IJX), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSE of JAX.
• An overhead photo of Jacksonville International Airport circa 1968
• Construction started in 1965 on a new airport to handle travel to nearby naval bases.
• The furthest airport from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is Kalbarri Airport (KAX), which is located 11,456 miles (18,436 kilometers) away in Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia.
• Both of the newer concourses house ten gates each and have moving walkways.
• The new airport was slow to expand, only serving two million passengers a year by 1982, but it served over five million annually by 1999 and an expansion plan was approved in 2000.
• Jacksonville International Airport handled 5,605,934 passengers last year.
• A photo of a program from the dedication of Jacksonville International Airport in 1968
• Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) has 2 runways.
• Because of Jacksonville International Airport's relatively low elevation of 30 feet, planes can take off or land at Jacksonville 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 December 6, 1984, PBA Flight 1039 crashed on takeoff, killing all 11 passengers and 2 crew on board.

Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):

• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Buka Island Airport (BUA) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• Today the airport is the primary air portal into Bougainville, and even 60 years after the war, wreckage from the military use of the airfield by the Japanese and Americans is easily found in the area.
• Because of Buka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 11 feet, planes can take off or land at Buka 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.
• The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
• On 26 July, an Imperial Japanese Navy special detachment was sent to inspect Buka Airfield, but considered it unacceptable as a prospect for a speedily constructed major airfield.