Nonstop flight route between Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL), Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,270 miles (or 13,309 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 JB MDL Lakehurst and King Shaka International, 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 JB MDL Lakehurst and King Shaka International. 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 JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL):

• Today the base is used for various Naval Aviation development programs.
• The Lakehurst portion of JB MDL is the world's only provider of full spectrum support for aircraft launch, recovery and support equipment systems for U.S.
• Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, the former name of the Lakehurst part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force-managed Joint Base located approximately 25 miles east-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey.
• Prior to this event, NAS Lakehurst was the center of airship development in the United States and housed three of the U.S.
• The Lakehurst portion of JB MDL includes activities of the Naval Air Systems Command and is part of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Complex.
• The closest airport to JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL) is Ocean County Airport (MJX), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) SSE of NEL.
• The furthest airport from JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,767 miles (18,936 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The base housed many Navy non-rigid airships, otherwise knowns as "blimps," in several squadrons before, during, and after World War II.

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• The furthest airport from King Shaka International (DUR) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,682 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 2013 Skytrax announced that King Shaka International Airport was the best airport in the world handling under 5 million passengers.
• As a result, a study into the risks of bird strikes at KSIA was commissioned, with special attention being paid to the Barn Swallows at Mount Moreland.
• The airport is located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 35 km north of Durban.
• The project was then hit by a tender war between the Illembe consortium and the Indiza consortium.
• One of the objectives of the cargo terminal is to recapture local air freight traffic from JNB.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• Because of King Shaka International's relatively low elevation of 295 feet, planes can take off or land at King Shaka International 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.