Nonstop flight route between New York City, New York, United States and Hambantota, Sri Lanka:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York City, New York, United States and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI), Hambantota, Sri Lanka would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,819 miles (or 14,192 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 LaGuardia Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa 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 LaGuardia Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa 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 LaGuardia Airport (LGA):

• The closest airport to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is Flushing Airport (closed 1984) (FLU), which is located only 2 miles (3 kilometers) E of LGA.
• Newspaper accounts alternately referred to the airfield as New York Municipal Airport and LaGuardia Field until the modern name was officially applied when the airport moved to Port of New York Authority control under a lease with New York City on June 1, 1947.
• Although LaGuardia was a large airport for the era in which it was built, it soon became too small.
• The current site of the airport was originally used by the Gala Amusement Park, owned by the Steinway family.
• Delta will invest $100 million to renovate terminals C and D in LaGuardia, where it will operate a total of 32 gates.
• Because of LaGuardia Airport's relatively low elevation of 21 feet, planes can take off or land at LaGuardia 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.
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA) has 2 runways.
• The terminal is home of the largest mural created during the Roosevelt-era Works Progress Administration Federal Arts Program.
• The furthest airport from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,754 miles (18,917 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI):

• Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Construction of phase one began on 27 November 2009 at Mattala.
• The air traffic control tower of height 41m has been constructed at the highest elevation of the aerodrome.
• This project will have two phases, with the first phase expected to be completed by the end of October 2012.
• On 24 January 2013, Sri Lanka Minister of Civil Aviation Piyankara Jayaratne said in parliament that the airport would be declared open on 18 March 2013.
• The numbers given to the airport's sole runway is 05 and 23.
• In addition to being known as "Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport", another name for HRI is "මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළமத்தல ராஜபக்ஷ பன்னாட்டு விமான நிலையம்".
• The closest airport to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) is Weerawila Airport (WRZ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) ESE of HRI.
• 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.