Nonstop flight route between Katima Mulilo, Namibia and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA), Katima Mulilo, Namibia and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,704 miles (or 14,008 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 Katima Mulilo Airport and Buka Island 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 Katima Mulilo Airport and Buka Island 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 Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA):

• The closest airport to Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) is Kasane Airport (BBK), which is located 66 miles (107 kilometers) ESE of MPA.
• Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Katima Mulilo Airport", another name for MPA is "Mpacha Airport".
• The furthest airport from Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) is Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA), which is nearly antipodal to Katima Mulilo Airport (meaning Katima Mulilo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kona International Airport at Keāhole), and is located 12,291 miles (19,780 kilometers) away in Kailua / Kona, Hawaii, United States.

Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):

• The furthest airport from Buka Island Airport (BUA) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
• The origins of the airfield begin in 1941 when Australian troops built gun pits around a primitive airstrip in December 1941.
• In January 1944, the Allies drove the Japanese out of Buka, and the airfield was used for operations against the Japanese over New Guinea.
• Today the airport is the primary air portal into Bougainville, and even 60 years after the war, wreckage from the military use of the airfield by the Japanese and Americans is easily found in the area.
• Because of Buka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 11 feet, planes can take off or land at Buka Island 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 Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.