Nonstop flight route between Minami-Tori-shima, Japan and Kandahar, Afghanistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Minamitorishima Air Field (MUS), Minami-Tori-shima, Japan and Kabul International Airport (KDH), Kandahar, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,258 miles (or 8,461 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 Minamitorishima Air Field and Kabul 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 Minamitorishima Air Field and Kabul 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 Minamitorishima Air Field (MUS):

• Minamitorishima Air Field (MUS) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Minamitorishima Air Field", other names for MUS include "Minami Torishima Airport" and "Marcus Island Airport".
• The closest airport to Minamitorishima Air Field (MUS) is Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2 (IWO), which is located 796 miles (1,281 kilometers) W of MUS.
• The furthest airport from Minamitorishima Air Field (MUS) is Vitória-Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport (Goiabeiras) (VIX), which is located 11,484 miles (18,481 kilometers) away in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
• Because of Minamitorishima Air Field's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Minamitorishima Air Field 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 Kabul International Airport (KDH):

• The furthest airport from Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Kabul International Airport (meaning Kabul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,023 miles (19,349 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• Kandahar International Airport is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan.
• In addition to being known as "Kabul International Airport", other names for KDH include "Kandahar International Airport (Kandahar)" and "میدان هوایی بین المللی کندهار".
• A perimeter was quickly secured around the terminal building and airstrip, and initially all troops worked and lived in and around the main terminal building itself.
• The closest airport to Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Tarin Kowt Airport (TII), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) N of KDH.
• Fighting in the Kandahar area was particularly intense.
• As part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy also had based a squadron of Harrier GR7A aircraft at Kandahar Airfield to provide close air support to coalition ground forces replacing USMC AV-8B's.
• Coalition presence increases
• Kabul International Airport (KDH) currently has only 1 runway.