Nonstop flight route between Massawa, Eritrea and Canton Island, Kiribati:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MSW to CIS:
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- About this route
- MSW Airport Information
- CIS Airport Information
- Facts about MSW
- Facts about CIS
- Map of Nearest Airports to MSW
- List of Nearest Airports to MSW
- Map of Furthest Airports from MSW
- List of Furthest Airports from MSW
- Map of Nearest Airports to CIS
- List of Nearest Airports to CIS
- Map of Furthest Airports from CIS
- List of Furthest Airports from CIS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Massawa International Airport (MSW), Massawa, Eritrea and Canton Island Airport (CIS), Canton Island, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,143 miles (or 16,323 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 Massawa International Airport and Canton 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 Massawa International Airport and Canton Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MSW / HHMS |
Airport Name: | Massawa International Airport |
Location: | Massawa, Eritrea |
GPS Coordinates: | 15°40'59"N by 39°22'5"E |
Area Served: | Massawa |
Airport Type: | Military/Public |
Elevation: | 206 feet (63 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MSW |
More Information: | MSW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CIS / PCIS |
Airport Name: | Canton Island Airport |
Location: | Canton Island, Kiribati |
GPS Coordinates: | 2°46'9"S by 171°42'19"W |
Elevation: | 9 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from CIS |
More Information: | CIS Maps & Info |
Facts about Massawa International Airport (MSW):
- Massawa International Airport (MSW) currently has only 1 runway.
- Massawa International Airport is an airport in Massawa, a major city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea.
- The closest airport to Massawa International Airport (MSW) is Asmara International Airport (ASM), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) SW of MSW.
- In the colonial period, a 1970 km line was established between Massawa-Djibouti-Berbera-Galadi-Mogadishu.
- The furthest airport from Massawa International Airport (MSW) is Fangatau Airport (FGU), which is nearly antipodal to Massawa International Airport (meaning Massawa International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fangatau Airport), and is located 12,417 miles (19,984 kilometers) away in Fangatau, French Polynesia.
- As of 2014, the airport only hosts domestic flights since the companies that formed it do not have an international license.
- Because of Massawa International Airport's relatively low elevation of 206 feet, planes can take off or land at Massawa 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.
Facts about Canton Island Airport (CIS):
- Because of Canton Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Canton 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 political status of the island was uncertain at first, with American and British settlers occupying two separate camps on the island.
- The closest airport to Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Funafuti International Airport (FUN), which is located 741 miles (1,193 kilometers) WSW of CIS.
- Canton Island Airport (CIS) currently has only 1 runway.
- Though Kanton Island was never physically invaded by Japanese forces, the airfield was bombarded on 1 November 1943 by the Japanese submarine I-36.
- The furthest airport from Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Malabo International Airport (SSG), which is nearly antipodal to Canton Island Airport (meaning Canton Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Malabo International Airport), and is located 12,363 miles (19,896 kilometers) away in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.