Nonstop flight route between Riverton, Wyoming, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RIW to BUA:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- RIW Airport Information
- BUA Airport Information
- Facts about RIW
- Facts about BUA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RIW
- List of Nearest Airports to RIW
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIW
- List of Furthest Airports from RIW
- Map of Nearest Airports to BUA
- List of Nearest Airports to BUA
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUA
- List of Furthest Airports from BUA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Riverton Regional Airport (RIW), Riverton, Wyoming, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,820 miles (or 10,976 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 Riverton Regional 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 Riverton Regional 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RIW / KRIW |
Airport Name: | Riverton Regional Airport |
Location: | Riverton, Wyoming, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°3'51"N by 108°27'34"W |
Area Served: | Riverton, Wyoming |
Operator/Owner: | City of Riverton |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5528 feet (1,685 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from RIW |
More Information: | RIW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BUA / AYBK |
Airport Name: | Buka Island Airport |
Location: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°25'19"S by 154°40'21"E |
Area Served: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 11 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUA |
More Information: | BUA Maps & Info |
Facts about Riverton Regional Airport (RIW):
- As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 17,035 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 14,186 enplanements in 2009, and 14,361 in 2010.
- The furthest airport from Riverton Regional Airport (RIW) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,758 miles (17,313 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Because of Riverton Regional Airport's high elevation of 5,528 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at RIW. Combined with a high temperature, this could make RIW a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The closest airport to Riverton Regional Airport (RIW) is Hunt Field (LND), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) SW of RIW.
- Riverton Regional Airport (RIW) has 2 runways.
Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):
- There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
- On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
- 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.
- 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.
- Buka Airport is an airport serving Buka Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua 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.