Nonstop flight route between Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Athens, Georgia, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mackay Airport (MKY), Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN), Athens, Georgia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,138 miles (or 14,707 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 Mackay Airport and Athens Ben Epps 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 Mackay Airport and Athens Ben Epps 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 Mackay Airport (MKY):

• In the year 2008, the airport handled 837,416 passengers making it the 15th busiest airport in Australia.
• The closest airport to Mackay Airport (MKY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNW of MKY.
• Mackay is a thriving mining, agricultural, industrial and regional business centre that also supports a growing tourism industry and is a gateway to the Whitsunday coast and islands.
• Mackay Airport (MKY) has 2 runways.
• Despite the collapse of airlines Ansett Australia and Flight West Airlines in 2001, Mackay Airport has experienced considerable growth in recent years, due to the use of the airport by Virgin Australia and the expansion of QantasLink services, and handles over 620,000 passengers through the terminal per annum but that has slowed and the airport is up for sale.
• Moves to establish an airport at Mackay began in 1927, when Captain Ron Adair selected the site of the town commons for the construction of an aerodrome, and landed the first plane in Mackay there, his own Avro biplane.
• Because of Mackay Airport's relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Mackay 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.
• Mackay Airport handled 1,049,172 passengers last year.
• In 1941, the Commonwealth Government took control of the airport from the Mackay City Council, and built a new passenger terminal in 1953.
• The furthest airport from Mackay Airport (MKY) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,973 miles (19,269 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.

Facts about Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN):

• Until May 23, 2008, the airport was served by twice-daily flights to Charlotte on Air Midwest operating as US Airways Express.SeaPort Airlines is now the sole airline providing scheduled service to the airport, with daily flights to Nashville.
• The furthest airport from Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,382 miles (18,317 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 3,449 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 5,335 enplanements in 2009, and 5,751 in 2010.
• The closest airport to Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN) is Barrow County Airport (WDR), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) W of AHN.
• Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN) has 2 runways.
• Because of Athens Ben Epps Airport's relatively low elevation of 808 feet, planes can take off or land at Athens Ben Epps 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.