Nonstop flight route between Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Dakhla, Western Sahara:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from PLZ to VIL:
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- About this route
- PLZ Airport Information
- VIL Airport Information
- Facts about PLZ
- Facts about VIL
- Map of Nearest Airports to PLZ
- List of Nearest Airports to PLZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from PLZ
- List of Furthest Airports from PLZ
- Map of Nearest Airports to VIL
- List of Nearest Airports to VIL
- Map of Furthest Airports from VIL
- List of Furthest Airports from VIL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Dakhla Airport (VIL), Dakhla, Western Sahara would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,831 miles (or 7,775 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 Port Elizabeth International Airport and Dakhla 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 Port Elizabeth International Airport and Dakhla Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PLZ / FAPE |
Airport Name: | Port Elizabeth International Airport |
Location: | Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°59'4"S by 25°36'37"E |
Area Served: | Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 226 feet (69 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PLZ |
More Information: | PLZ Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VIL / GMMH |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Dakhla, Western Sahara |
GPS Coordinates: | 23°43'5"N by 15°55'54"W |
Area Served: | Dakhla |
Operator/Owner: | Office National Des Aéroports (ONDA) / Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 36 feet (11 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VIL |
More Information: | VIL Maps & Info |
Facts about Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ):
- Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) has 2 runways.
- August 1998 - A South African Airways Boeing 747-400 landed at Port Elizabeth Airport to be officially named 'Ibayhi' the Xhosa word for Port Elizabeth.
- A highlight in Port Elizabeth's history was the first flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town in 1917, made by Major Allister Mackintosh Miller.
- Because of Port Elizabeth International Airport's relatively low elevation of 226 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Elizabeth 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.
- The closest airport to Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 79 miles (127 kilometers) ENE of PLZ.
- The airport resides at an elevation of 226 feet above mean sea level.
- The airport is located approximately two miles south of the city's central business district.
- 1 February 2008 - King Abdullah II of Jordan's Airbus A340-200 landed at Port Elizabeth as he makes his way down the Garden Route to Cape Town on a Harley-Davidson motorbike.
- The furthest airport from Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,567 miles (18,615 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
Facts about Dakhla Airport (VIL):
- The passenger terminal covers 670 square metres and is capable to handle up to 55,000 passengers per year.
- The furthest airport from Dakhla Airport (VIL) is Tontouta International Airport (NOU), which is nearly antipodal to Dakhla Airport (meaning Dakhla Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tontouta International Airport), and is located 12,256 miles (19,725 kilometers) away in Noumea, New Caledonia.
- The closest airport to Dakhla Airport (VIL) is Nouadhibou International Airport (NDB), which is located 205 miles (330 kilometers) SSW of VIL.
- In addition to being known as "Dakhla Airport", another name for VIL is "GMMH/GSVO".
- The airport is operated by the Moroccan state-owned company ONDA.
- Dakhla Airport handled 4,206 passengers last year.
- Because of Dakhla Airport's relatively low elevation of 36 feet, planes can take off or land at Dakhla 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.
- Dakhla Airport (VIL) currently has only 1 runway.