Nonstop flight route between Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mackay Airport (MKY), Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,404 miles (or 13,526 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 Sioux Falls Regional 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 Sioux Falls Regional 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• Mackay Airport (MKY) has 2 runways.
• In the year 2008, the airport handled 837,416 passengers making it the 15th busiest airport in Australia.
• 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.
• 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.
• In 1938, the airport held an airshow featuring ten aircraft, which attracted over 8,000 spectators.
• The closest airport to Mackay Airport (MKY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNW of MKY.

Facts about Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD):

• Also located here is the Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station, home to Headquarters, South Dakota Air National Guard and its 114th Fighter Wing, an Air Combat Command gained unit known as the "Fighting Lobos" and operating F-16C/D aircraft.
• The closest airport to Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) is Madison Municipal Airport (XMD), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) NNW of FSD.
• In addition to being known as "Sioux Falls Regional Airport", another name for FSD is "Joe Foss Field".
• In 2005, Sioux Falls Regional Airport became the first airport to de-federalize its workforce.
• On December 20, 1983, Ozark Airlines Flight 650 struck a snow plow while landing, killing the driver.
• Beginning in the spring of 2009, the Sioux Falls Regional Airport embarked on a 3 phase multi-year, multi-million dollar renovation and expansion project, designed by Koch Hazard Architects, that included renovating and expanding the ticketing and check-in counter area, renovating the ground floor gift shop, updating and renovating the concourse, and updating and expanding the airport's parking operations.
• Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) has 3 runways.
• The furthest airport from Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,610 miles (17,075 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.