Nonstop flight route between Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand and Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ), Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand and Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,630 miles (or 12,279 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 Kapiti Coast Airport and Lake Charles Regional 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 Kapiti Coast Airport and Lake Charles Regional 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 Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ):

• As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but a decision was made to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site.
• In 1949 a Lockheed Lodestar from Whenuapai crashed into the Tararua Range.
• On 17 February 2008, above an adjacent hardware store, Placemakers, there was a triple-fatality mid-air collision between a Cessna 152 and a helicopter, both of which plummeted from approximately 1500 ft, the helicopter into the store and the plane into a nearby street.
• In early 2007, the airport was sold by its first private owners to property developer Noel Robinson for NZ$40 million.
• Kapiti Coast Airport, earlier called Paraparaumu Airport, is on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island, between the Wellington dormitory suburbs of Paraparaumu Beach, Paraparaumu to the east, and Raumati Beach to the south.
• The closest airport to Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Wellington International Airport (WLG), which is located 31 miles (49 kilometers) SSW of PPQ.
• The furthest airport from Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM), which is nearly antipodal to Kapiti Coast Airport (meaning Kapiti Coast Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salamanca-Matacán Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Salamanca, Spain.
• This re-development was spurred by interest from Air New Zealand to operate Q300 aircraft.
• The Kapiti Aero Club is based at the airport, along with other private fliers and charter businesses.
• Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) has 3 runways.
• Because of Kapiti Coast Airport's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Kapiti Coast 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.
• Originally government-owned, the Kapiti Coast Airport was the greater Wellington region's main airport until Wellington International Airport re-opened in 1959.

Facts about Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH):

• In later years, Trans-Texas Airways served the airport with Convair 600 turboprop flights primarily to Houston and New Orleans.
• The closest airport to Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) is Chennault International Airport (CWF), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) NE of LCH.
• The furthest airport from Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,040 miles (17,767 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) has 2 runways.
• Because of Lake Charles Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Lake Charles Regional 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.
• A large number of helicopters are based at LCH and serve both the petroleum industry in the Gulf and other purposes.