Nonstop flight route between Rotterdam, Netherlands and East London, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RTM to ELS:
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- About this route
- RTM Airport Information
- ELS Airport Information
- Facts about RTM
- Facts about ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to RTM
- List of Nearest Airports to RTM
- Map of Furthest Airports from RTM
- List of Furthest Airports from RTM
- 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 Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), Rotterdam, Netherlands and East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,041 miles (or 9,722 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 Rotterdam The Hague 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 Rotterdam The Hague 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: | RTM / EHRD |
Airport Name: | Rotterdam The Hague Airport |
Location: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°57'24"N by 4°26'13"E |
Area Served: | Rotterdam and The Hague |
Operator/Owner: | Schiphol Group |
Airport Type: | Public/Military/State |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from RTM |
More Information: | RTM 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 |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Facts about Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM):
- Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) currently has only 1 runway.
- After World War II, the Dutch government decided that a second national airport was needed in addition to Schiphol.
- Because of Rotterdam The Hague Airport's relatively low elevation of -14 feet, planes can take off or land at Rotterdam The Hague 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.
- Rotterdam The Hague Airport handled 159,014 passengers last year.
- The name of the airport was changed from Zestienhoven to Rotterdam Airport and finally in 2010 to its current Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
- The furthest airport from Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,872 miles (19,107 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Most flights today are operated by regional turboprop aircraft such as the Fokker 50, Dash 8 and ATR aircraft and smaller mainline jets such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series or the Embraer 190.
- The closest airport to Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) is Valkenburg Naval Air Base (LID), which is located only 15 miles (23 kilometers) N of RTM.
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
- East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape.
- 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 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.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.