Nonstop flight route between Falkland Islands and Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN), Falkland Islands and Dunedin International Airport (DUD), Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,092 miles (or 8,195 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 RAF Mount Pleasant and Dunedin International 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 RAF Mount Pleasant and Dunedin International 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 RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN):

• Mount Pleasant was opened by Prince Andrew on 12 May 1985, becoming fully operational the following year.
• The closest airport to RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) is Port Stanley Airport (PSY), which is located 30 miles (49 kilometers) ENE of MPN.
• The furthest airport from RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) is Mohe Gulian Airport (OHE), which is nearly antipodal to RAF Mount Pleasant (meaning RAF Mount Pleasant is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mohe Gulian Airport), and is located 12,353 miles (19,879 kilometers) away in Mohe, Heilongjiang, China.
• There is also a Joint Communications Unit providing the electronic warfare and command and control systems for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
• On 10 November 2011, it was announced that Prince William would be serving as a Sea King pilot on the station for six weeks during February and March 2012.
• A flight of Westland Sea King helicopters for support and search and rescue has been located at Mount Pleasant since November 2007.
• Using the IATA airport code MPN, RAF Mount Pleasant also acts as the Falkland Islands' only international airport, along with its military role.

Facts about Dunedin International Airport (DUD):

• The old airfield at Taieri was not economic to expand to cater for the growth in air travel expected in the future.
• In 2009, Dunedin International Airport Limited announced it had the land and consent to extend the runway from 1900m to 2400m, at a cost of NZ$20 million.
• The closest airport to Dunedin International Airport (DUD) is Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR), which is located 64 miles (102 kilometers) NW of DUD.
• The furthest airport from Dunedin International Airport (DUD) is A Coruña Airport (LCG), which is nearly antipodal to Dunedin International Airport (meaning Dunedin International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from A Coruña Airport), and is located 12,242 miles (19,702 kilometers) away in A Coruña, Spain.
• Because of Dunedin International Airport's relatively low elevation of 4 feet, planes can take off or land at Dunedin International 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.
• Dunedin International Airport (DUD) currently has only 1 runway.
• Airport shuttle vans, seating around 12 people cost about $30 per person for airport to door or door to airport service.