Nonstop flight route between Pensacola, Florida, United States and Canton Island, Kiribati:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from PNS to CIS:
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- About this route
- PNS Airport Information
- CIS Airport Information
- Facts about PNS
- Facts about CIS
- Map of Nearest Airports to PNS
- List of Nearest Airports to PNS
- Map of Furthest Airports from PNS
- List of Furthest Airports from PNS
- 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 Pensacola International Airport (PNS), Pensacola, Florida, United States and Canton Island Airport (CIS), Canton Island, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,990 miles (or 9,640 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 Pensacola 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 Pensacola 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: | PNS / KPNS |
Airport Name: | Pensacola International Airport |
Location: | Pensacola, Florida, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 30°28'23"N by 87°11'12"W |
Area Served: | Pensacola, Florida |
Operator/Owner: | City of Pensacola |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 121 feet (37 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PNS |
More Information: | PNS 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 Pensacola International Airport (PNS):
- The closest airport to Pensacola International Airport (PNS) is NOLF Saufley Field (NUN), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) W of PNS.
- Pensacola has one passenger terminal with 12 gates, built in the early 1990s.
- Because of Pensacola International Airport's relatively low elevation of 121 feet, planes can take off or land at Pensacola 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.
- In 1935 a passenger terminal opened, and airline service began two years later.
- The furthest airport from Pensacola International Airport (PNS) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,148 miles (17,940 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- On December 27, 1987 an Eastern Airlines DC-9-31 made a hard landing and split its fuselage open just aft of its wing root.
- Pensacola International Airport (PNS) has 2 runways.
Facts about Canton Island Airport (CIS):
- Canton Island Airport (CIS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The political status of the island was uncertain at first, with American and British settlers occupying two separate camps on the island.
- The airport was used as a military airfield during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 and 1943, initially being used by the 40th Ferrying Squadron, Ferrying Command as an airfield for moving combat aircraft to forward combat units.
- 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 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.
- The closest airport to Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Funafuti International Airport (FUN), which is located 741 miles (1,193 kilometers) WSW of CIS.
- The Pan American pioneered central air route, Hawaii to the Philippines and Asia by way of stations at Midway, Wake and Guam passed through the Japanese controlled islands with serious concerns about its safety growing in 1941 even as the Army had reinforced the Philippines with a flight of B-17 bombers by way of Midway, Wake and Port Moresby in September.