Nonstop flight route between Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Talkeetna, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mackay Airport (MKY), Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Talkeetna Airport (TKA), Talkeetna, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,647 miles (or 10,697 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 Talkeetna 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 Talkeetna 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In November 2008, Mackay Airport was sold to a private consortium to fund the development of Mackay Hospital.
• In January 2010, Auckland International Airport Limited, announced plans to purchase almost 25 per cent of North Queensland Airports, operator of the airports at Cairns and Mackay, for about $167 million.
• Mackay Airport handled 1,049,172 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Mackay Airport (MKY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNW of MKY.
• Mackay Airport had grass landing strips until 1940, when the Commonwealth Government extended the airport's boundaries and upgraded the runways to unsealed gravel for use during World War II.
• 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.

Facts about Talkeetna Airport (TKA):

• The furthest airport from Talkeetna Airport (TKA) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,470 miles (16,850 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Talkeetna Airport (TKA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport is home to at least seven air taxi operations, and is very busy during tourist season because of its proximity to Mount McKinley.
• Because of Talkeetna Airport's relatively low elevation of 358 feet, planes can take off or land at Talkeetna 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 Talkeetna Airport (TKA) is Willow Airport (WOW), which is located 39 miles (63 kilometers) S of TKA.
• Air services operating from the airport include Sheldon Air Service, Talkeetna Aero Services, K2 Aviation, Talkeetna Air Taxi.
• This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation airport.