Nonstop flight route between Kahului, Hawaii, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kahului Airport (OGG), Kahului, Hawaii, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,780 miles (or 6,083 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 Kahului 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 Kahului 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 Kahului Airport (OGG):

• The NTSB determined the cause of the accident was the airplane's controlled flight into terrain as a result of the decision of the captain to continue the flight under visual flight rules at night into instrument meteorological conditions, which obscured rising mountainous terrain.
• Investigations of the disaster, headquartered at Honolulu International Airport, concluded that the accident was caused by metal fatigue.
• Kahului Airport is part of a centralized state structure governing all of the airports and seaports of Hawai'i.
• Kahului Airport (OGG) has 2 runways.
• Because of Kahului Airport's relatively low elevation of 54 feet, planes can take off or land at Kahului 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.
• Most of the gates were spaced to handle narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 717 and Boeing 737 used on inter-island flights.
• The closest airport to Kahului Airport (OGG) is Kapalua Airport (JHM), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) WNW of OGG.
• As a result of the passage of Hawai'i State Legislature bills in 1998 and 2001, Kahului is planned to undergo expansion for new, larger facilities, lengthening of runways, increasing of fuel storage capacities, and construction of new access roads.
• Kahului Airport handled 5,346,694 passengers last year.
• Aloha Airlines Flight 243
• The Kahului Airport terminal building has ticketing, USDA agricultural inspection, and baggage claim areas on the ground level.
• The furthest airport from Kahului Airport (OGG) is Maun Airport (MUB), which is nearly antipodal to Kahului Airport (meaning Kahului Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maun Airport), and is located 12,372 miles (19,911 kilometers) away in Maun, Botswana.
• Kahului Airport is a regional airport in the state of Hawai'i, United States, located east of the Kahului CDP in Maui County on the island of Maui near Haleakala.

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.
• 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.
• In January 1944, the Allies drove the Japanese out of Buka, and the airfield was used for operations against the Japanese over New Guinea.
• 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.
• In 2004, the airport experienced some closures due to land disputes.
• On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.