Nonstop flight route between Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MDK to BUA:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- MDK Airport Information
- BUA Airport Information
- Facts about MDK
- Facts about BUA
- Map of Nearest Airports to MDK
- List of Nearest Airports to MDK
- Map of Furthest Airports from MDK
- List of Furthest Airports from MDK
- Map of Nearest Airports to BUA
- List of Nearest Airports to BUA
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUA
- List of Furthest Airports from BUA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Mbandaka Airport (MDK), Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,405 miles (or 15,136 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 Mbandaka 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 Mbandaka 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MDK / FZEA |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
GPS Coordinates: | 0°1'21"N by 18°17'18"E |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1040 feet (317 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MDK |
More Information: | MDK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BUA / AYBK |
Airport Name: | Buka Island Airport |
Location: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°25'19"S by 154°40'21"E |
Area Served: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 11 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUA |
More Information: | BUA Maps & Info |
Facts about Mbandaka Airport (MDK):
- In addition to being known as "Mbandaka Airport", other names for MDK include "Aéroport de Mbandaka" and "Mbandaka Airport".
- Mbandaka Airport (MDK) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Mbandaka Airport (MDK) is Impfondo Airport (ION), which is located 110 miles (176 kilometers) N of MDK.
- The furthest airport from Mbandaka Airport (MDK) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is nearly antipodal to Mbandaka Airport (meaning Mbandaka Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cassidy International Airport), and is located 12,105 miles (19,481 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):
- It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
- Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
- On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.