Nonstop flight route between Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mariehamn Airport (MHQ), Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,233 miles (or 10,031 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 Mariehamn 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 Mariehamn 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 Mariehamn Airport (MHQ):

• Mariehamn Airport handled 48,672 passengers last year.
• Because of Mariehamn Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Mariehamn 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 Mariehamn Airport (MHQ) is Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN), which is located 76 miles (122 kilometers) WSW of MHQ.
• Mariehamn Airport (MHQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Mariehamn Airport", another name for MHQ is "Mariehamns flygplatsMaarianhaminan lentoasema".
• The furthest airport from Mariehamn Airport (MHQ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,120 miles (17,896 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• 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.
• In response to the study, ACSA contracted De-Tect Inc.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• The airport forms part of the Dube Tradeport, which will additionally consist of a trade zone linked to the airport's cargo terminal, facilities to support the airport such as nearby offices and transit accommodation for tourists, an integrated agricultural export zone, and an IT platform.
• The final obstacle was a delay in the approval of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.