Nonstop flight route between Rochester, Minnesota, United States and East London, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RST to ELS:
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- About this route
- RST Airport Information
- ELS Airport Information
- Facts about RST
- Facts about ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to RST
- List of Nearest Airports to RST
- Map of Furthest Airports from RST
- List of Furthest Airports from RST
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Rochester International Airport (RST), Rochester, Minnesota, United States and East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,195 miles (or 14,797 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 Rochester International Airport and East London 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 Rochester International Airport and East London Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RST / KRST |
Airport Name: | Rochester International Airport |
Location: | Rochester, Minnesota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°54'29"N by 92°30'0"W |
Operator/Owner: | City of Rochester |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1317 feet (401 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from RST |
More Information: | RST Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ELS / FAEL |
Airport Name: | East London Airport |
Location: | East London, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E |
Area Served: | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 436 feet (133 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Facts about Rochester International Airport (RST):
- The closest airport to Rochester International Airport (RST) is Austin Municipal Airport (AUM), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) SW of RST.
- The furthest airport from Rochester International Airport (RST) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,811 miles (17,399 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The original Rochester International Airport was founded in 1928 by the Mayo Foundation as a way to get patients from far-flung locations to the Mayo Clinic.
- A five passenger plane en route to Rochester crashed in Lake Michigan, killing the four passengers, but the pilot did survive.
- Rochester International Airport (RST) has 2 runways.
- In 1960, Rochester International Airport opened at its current location 8 miles south of downtown Rochester.
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
- Because of East London Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at East London 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 airport had an inauspicious beginning in 1927, when Lieut Colonel Alistair Miller asked the East London town council to help establish a municipal aerodrome at Woodbrook, west of the city.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from East London Airport (ELS) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.