Nonstop flight route between Mmabatho, South Africa and Hawi, Hawaii, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MBD to UPP:
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- About this route
- MBD Airport Information
- UPP Airport Information
- Facts about MBD
- Facts about UPP
- Map of Nearest Airports to MBD
- List of Nearest Airports to MBD
- Map of Furthest Airports from MBD
- List of Furthest Airports from MBD
- Map of Nearest Airports to UPP
- List of Nearest Airports to UPP
- Map of Furthest Airports from UPP
- List of Furthest Airports from UPP
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Mafikeng Airport (MBD), Mmabatho, South Africa and Upolu Airport (UPP), Hawi, Hawaii, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 12,044 miles (or 19,382 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 Mafikeng Airport and Upolu 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 Mafikeng Airport and Upolu Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
The distance between MBD and UPP makes them almost exactly antipodal (the exact opposite side of the world) to each other. Nonstop flights between Mafikeng Airport and Upolu Airport would be very impractical for the airlines, because only a lightly loaded Boeing 777-200LR would be able to make the trip. Since airlines need to be able to take as many people and cargo as possible in order to make a profit, the odds of ever seeing a nonstop flight between MBD and UPP are slim to none. However, you'll still be able to get from Mmabatho, South Africa and Hawi, Hawaii, United States by taking some connecting flights!
Did you know that one full circling of the Earth (measuring from the equator) is about 24,901.5 miles (or 40,075 kilometers), which means if you were 12,450 miles from any given point on the planet, the distance back to your starting point would be about the same -- in any direction! The same can be said for a nonstop flight between MBD and UPP!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MBD / FAMM |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Mmabatho, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 25°48'27"S by 25°32'39"E |
Area Served: | Mafikeng, South Africa |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 4181 feet (1,274 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MBD |
More Information: | MBD Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | UPP / PHUP |
Airport Name: | Upolu Airport |
Location: | Hawi, Hawaii, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 20°15'55"N by 155°51'36"W |
Area Served: | Hawi, Hawaii |
Operator/Owner: | Hawaii Department of Transportation |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 96 feet (29 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from UPP |
More Information: | UPP Maps & Info |
Facts about Mafikeng Airport (MBD):
- Because of Mafikeng Airport's high elevation of 4,181 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MBD. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MBD a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The closest airport to Mafikeng Airport (MBD) is Lobatse Airport (LOQ), which is located 43 miles (70 kilometers) NNE of MBD.
- Mafikeng Airport (MBD) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Mafikeng Airport (MBD) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is nearly antipodal to Mafikeng Airport (meaning Mafikeng Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kalaupapa Airport), and is located 12,081 miles (19,443 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- In addition to being known as "Mafikeng Airport", another name for MBD is "Mmabatho Airport".
Facts about Upolu Airport (UPP):
- Upolu Airport covers an area of 82 acres at an elevation of 96 feet above mean sea level.
- Upolu Airport (UPP) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Upolu Airport (UPP) is Maun Airport (MUB), which is nearly antipodal to Upolu Airport (meaning Upolu Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maun Airport), and is located 12,387 miles (19,934 kilometers) away in Maun, Botswana.
- Because of Upolu Airport's relatively low elevation of 96 feet, planes can take off or land at Upolu 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 Upolu Airport (UPP) is Waimea-Kohala Airport (MUE), which is located 22 miles (36 kilometers) SE of UPP.
- Upolu Airport is a regional airport of the State of Hawai'i in Hawai'i County.
- Upolu Airport is part of a centralized state structure governing all of the airports and seaports of Hawai'i.