Nonstop flight route between Kwajalein, Marshall Islands and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from KWA to RAB:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- KWA Airport Information
- RAB Airport Information
- Facts about KWA
- Facts about RAB
- Map of Nearest Airports to KWA
- List of Nearest Airports to KWA
- Map of Furthest Airports from KWA
- List of Furthest Airports from KWA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RAB
- List of Nearest Airports to RAB
- Map of Furthest Airports from RAB
- List of Furthest Airports from RAB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA), Kwajalein, Marshall Islands and Rabaul Airport (RAB), Rabaul, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,390 miles (or 2,237 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 relatively short distance between Bucholz Army Airfield and Rabaul Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KWA / PKWA |
Airport Name: | Bucholz Army Airfield |
Location: | Kwajalein, Marshall Islands |
GPS Coordinates: | 8°43'12"N by 167°43'54"E |
Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 9 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KWA |
More Information: | KWA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RAB / AYTK |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Rabaul, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 4°20'25"S by 152°22'45"E |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 32 feet (10 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from RAB |
More Information: | RAB Maps & Info |
Facts about Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA):
- Since the entire Kwajalein Island is a military base, non-military passengers on commercial flights are transported to and from the neighboring island of Ebeye, the civilian population center of Kwajalein Atoll.
- After the war, the United States used Kwajalein as a main command center and preparation base for Operation Crossroads and an extensive series of nuclear tests at the Marshalls' atolls of Bikini and Enewetak.
- Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Bucholz Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Bucholz Army Airfield 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 furthest airport from Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is nearly antipodal to Bucholz Army Airfield (meaning Bucholz Army Airfield is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from RAF Ascension), and is located 12,283 miles (19,767 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
- The closest airport to Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA) is Ebadon Airstrip (EBN), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) SSE of KWA.
- As of 2009, Bucholz Army Airfield is still operated by the United States Army.
Facts about Rabaul Airport (RAB):
- Because of Rabaul Airport's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Rabaul 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.
- Prior to the 1994 volcanic eruption that destroyed the town of Rabaul, the airport was located at the foot of Tavurvur volcano, near Matupit island.
- The furthest airport from Rabaul Airport (RAB) is Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN), which is located 11,780 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil.
- The closest airport to Rabaul Airport (RAB) is Namatanai Airport (ATN), which is located 47 miles (75 kilometers) N of RAB.
- Rabaul Airport (RAB) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Rabaul Airport", another name for RAB is "Tokua Airport".
- A volcano eruption closed the airport for a day in 2006.