Nonstop flight route between Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma) and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mandalay International Airport (MDL), Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma) and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,581 miles (or 8,982 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 Mandalay International 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 Mandalay International 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 Mandalay International Airport (MDL):

• Due to the reforms in Myanmar, the airport has begun to see increase in traffic especially daily flights to Bangkok and to China.
• Systems incorporated into the airport include VHF and HF SSB transmitters and receivers, a voice communication control system, an automatic terminal information system, and an aeronautical fixed telecommunications network.
• The closest airport to Mandalay International Airport (MDL) is Nyaung U International Airport (NYU), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) WSW of MDL.
• Mandalay International Airport handled 500,000 passengers last year.
• Opened on 17 September 2000, the terminal building can handle 1000 passenger arrivals and 1000 passenger departures per hour.
• Mandalay International Airport (MDL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Mandalay International Airport (MDL) is Capitán FAP Renán Elías Olivera International Airport (PIO), which is located 11,685 miles (18,805 kilometers) away in Pisco, Peru.
• Because of Mandalay International Airport's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Mandalay 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.
• In addition to being known as "Mandalay International Airport", another name for MDL is "မန္တလေး အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာ လေဆိပ်".

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• The largest aircraft KSIA currently has scheduled services for is the Boeing 777-300ER, with Emirates operating Dubai–Durban, despite the fact that KSIA's runway length and terminal were designed to theoretically handle regular large airliners.
• 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.
• 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.
• On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• In response to the study, ACSA contracted De-Tect Inc.
• The project was revived in the late 1990s when the limitations of Durban International Airport became apparent.
• 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.
• 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 (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.