Nonstop flight route between Kars, Turkey and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kars Airport (KSY), Kars, Turkey and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,910 miles (or 7,901 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 Kars Airport and King Shaka International, 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 Kars Airport and King Shaka International. 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 Kars Airport (KSY):

• Because of Kars Airport's high elevation of 5,889 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at KSY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make KSY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Kars Airport (KSY) is Shirak International Airport (LWN), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) ENE of KSY.
• Kars Airport (KSY) currently has only 1 runway.
• Kars Airport has importance for serving also other cities like Ağrı, Ardahan, Artvin and Iğdır in north-eastern Turkey.
• The furthest airport from Kars Airport (KSY) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,224 miles (18,063 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• In 2006, Kars Airport served 2,352 aircraft and 270,052 passengers.
• In addition to being known as "Kars Airport", another name for KSY is "Kars Havaalanı".

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• Although the larger airport was built to grow the area's international services, it is also a key airport for domestic services throughout South Africa, serving the "Golden Triangle" between Cape Town International Airport, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, and KSIA itself with 7 airlines.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• Because of King Shaka International's relatively low elevation of 295 feet, planes can take off or land at King Shaka International 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 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• The furthest airport from King Shaka International (DUR) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,682 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
• The final obstacle was a delay in the approval of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
• As a result, a study into the risks of bird strikes at KSIA was commissioned, with special attention being paid to the Barn Swallows at Mount Moreland.
• Despite wide expectations that the airport would be named "King Shaka International Airport", it emerged in October 2009 that the airport needed to undergo a formal naming process.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.