Nonstop flight route between Santa Barbara, California, United States and Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
(34°25'33"N by 119°50'25"W)
Arrival Airport:
(28°44'26"S by 32°5'30"E)
Distance from SBA to RCB:
10,744.59 miles (17,291.71 km)
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- About this route
- SBA Airport Information
- RCB Airport Information
- Facts about SBA
- Facts about RCB
- Map of Nearest Airports to SBA
- List of Nearest Airports to SBA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SBA
- List of Furthest Airports from SBA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCB
- List of Nearest Airports to RCB
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCB
- List of Furthest Airports from RCB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), Santa Barbara, California, United States and Richards Bay Airport (RCB), Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,745 miles (or 17,292 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 Santa Barbara Airport and Richards Bay 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 Santa Barbara Airport and Richards Bay Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SBA / KSBA |
| Airport Name: | Santa Barbara Airport |
| Location: | Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 34°25'33"N by 119°50'25"W |
| Area Served: | Santa Barbara, California |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Santa Barbara |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 10 feet (3 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SBA |
| More Information: | SBA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCB / FARB |
| Airport Name: | Richards Bay Airport |
| Location: | Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 28°44'26"S by 32°5'30"E |
| Operator/Owner: | uMhlathuze Local Municipality |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 109 feet (33 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RCB |
| More Information: | RCB Maps & Info |
Facts about Santa Barbara Airport (SBA):
- The closest airport to Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is Santa Ynez Airport (SQA), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) NW of SBA.
- As airplane manufacturing grew in the late 1930s that airstrip developed into an airfield.
- On August 18, 2011 the airport opened a new 72,000 square foot terminal to add to the single story terminal built by United Airlines in 1942.
- In the 1951 war film Flying Leathernecks, John Wayne's character was stationed in Goleta.
- Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) has 3 runways.
- Because of Santa Barbara Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,487 miles (18,486 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- Airline flights began in 1932 on Pacific Seaboard Airlines.
- Until 2002 Santa Barbara Airport was on a mainline jet aircraft route between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Facts about Richards Bay Airport (RCB):
- The closest airport to Richards Bay Airport (RCB) is Hluhluwe Airport (HLW), which is located 52 miles (83 kilometers) NNE of RCB.
- Because of Richards Bay Airport's relatively low elevation of 109 feet, planes can take off or land at Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay Airport (RCB) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,689 miles (18,812 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
- Richards Bay Airport (RCB) currently has only 1 runway.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 18.32 miles (29.48 km) NW | Santa Ynez Airport (SQA) | Santa Ynez, California, United States |     |
| 2 | 25.62 miles (41.22 km) S | Santa Cruz Island Airport (SZN) | Santa Barbara, California, United States | |
| 3 | 39.34 miles (63.31 km) ESE | Oxnard Airport (OXR) | Oxnard, California, United States | |
| 4 | 39.34 miles (63.32 km) WNW | Lompoc Airport (LPC) | Lompoc, California, United States | |
| 5 | 44.73 miles (71.99 km) E | Santa Paula Airport (SZP) | Santa Paula, California, United States | |
| 6 | 46.18 miles (74.32 km) ESE | Naval Air Station Point Mugu (NTD) | Point Mugu, California, United States | |
| 7 | 46.50 miles (74.83 km) WNW | Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG) | Lompoc, California, United States | |
| 8 | 47.93 miles (77.14 km) NW | Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) | Santa Maria, California, United States | |
| 9 | 72.15 miles (116.11 km) NW | San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | |
| 10 | 78.49 miles (126.32 km) E | Van Nuys Airport (VNY) | Van Nuys, California, United States | |
| 11 | 80.53 miles (129.60 km) NW | O'Sullivan Army Heliport (CSL) | Camp San Luis Obispo, California, United States | |
| 12 | 82.21 miles (132.31 km) E | Whiteman Airport (WHP) | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| 13 | 82.54 miles (132.84 km) NNE | Meadows Field (BFL) | Bakersfield, California, United States | |
| 14 | 83.15 miles (133.82 km) NNE | Shafter Airport (MIT) | Shafter, California, United States | |
| 15 | 84.26 miles (135.60 km) ESE | Santa Monica Airport (SMO) | Santa Monica, California, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,486.68 miles (18,485.97 km) SSE | Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE) | Saint-Pierre, Réunion | |
| 2 | 11,459.68 miles (18,442.53 km) SSE | Roland Garros Airport (RUN) | St Denis, Réunion, France | |
| 3 | 11,458.01 miles (18,439.84 km) S | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) | Plaisance, Mauritius | |
| 4 | 11,414.61 miles (18,370.00 km) SE | Tôlanaro Airport (FTU) | Tôlanaro, Madagascar | |
| 5 | 11,404.53 miles (18,353.76 km) SSW | Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) | Rodrigues Island, Mauritius | |
| 6 | 11,294.07 miles (18,176.00 km) ESE | Ampanihy Airport (AMP) | Ampanihy, Madagascar | |
| 7 | 11,274.76 miles (18,144.92 km) SE | Mananjary Airport (MNJ) | Mananjary, Madagascar | |
| 8 | 11,239.45 miles (18,088.10 km) SE | Fianarantsoa Airport (WFI) | Fianarantsoa, Madagascar | |
| 9 | 11,128.93 miles (17,910.23 km) SSE | Toamasino Airport (TMM) | Toamasina, Madagascar | |
| 10 | 11,119.71 miles (17,895.39 km) SE | Manja Airport (MJA) | Manja, Menabe, Madagascar | |
| 11 | 11,106.03 miles (17,873.38 km) SE | Andavadoaka Airport (DVD) | Andavadoaka, Toliara province, Atsimo-Andrefana region, Madagascar | |
| 12 | 11,105.43 miles (17,872.41 km) SE | Ivato International Airport (TNR) | Antananarivo, Madagascar | |
| 13 | 11,093.78 miles (17,853.67 km) SE | Morombe Airport (MXM) | Morombe, Madagascar | |
| 14 | 11,079.30 miles (17,830.36 km) SSE | Sainte Marie Airport (SMS) | Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar | |
| 15 | 11,070.95 miles (17,816.93 km) SE | Miandrivazo Airport (ZVA) | Miandrivazo, Madagascar | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 51.82 miles (83.40 km) NNE | Hluhluwe Airport (HLW) | Hluhluwe, South Africa | |
| 2 | 84.75 miles (136.40 km) SW | King Shaka International (DUR) | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 3 | 119.80 miles (192.80 km) WSW | Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB) | Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | |
| 4 | 142.22 miles (228.88 km) W | Ladysmith Airport (LAY) | Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 5 | 160.19 miles (257.81 km) NNW | Matsapha Airport (MTS) | Manzini, Swaziland | |
| 6 | 180.06 miles (289.77 km) SW | Margate Airport (MGH) | Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 7 | 186.21 miles (299.68 km) WSW | Mokhotlong Airport (MKH) | Mokhotlong, Lesotho | |
| 8 | 197.06 miles (317.14 km) N | Maputo International Airport (MPM) | Maputo, Mozambique | |
| 9 | 221.74 miles (356.85 km) WSW | Lebakeng Airport (LEF) | Lebakeng, Lesotho | |
| 10 | 235.81 miles (379.50 km) WSW | Lesobeng Airport (LES) | Lesobeng, Lesotho | |
| 11 | 239.78 miles (385.89 km) NNW | Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) | Nelspruit, South Africa | |
| 12 | 244.68 miles (393.77 km) W | Leribe Airport (LRB) | Leribe, Lesotho | |
| 13 | 254.51 miles (409.59 km) WSW | Semonkong Airport (SOK) | Semonkong, Lesotho | |
| 14 | 273.13 miles (439.56 km) N | Mala Mala Airport (AAM) | Mala Mala, South Africa | |
| 15 | 274.02 miles (441.00 km) WNW | Heidelberg Airport (HDB) | Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,688.97 miles (18,811.52 km) NE | Hana Airport (HNM) | Hana, Hawaii, United States | |
| 2 | 11,676.26 miles (18,791.08 km) NE | Kahului Airport (OGG) | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | |
| 3 | 11,668.75 miles (18,778.99 km) NE | Kapalua Airport (JHM) | Lahaina, Hawaii, United States | |
| 4 | 11,668.60 miles (18,778.74 km) NE | Hilo International Airport (ITO) | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | |
| 5 | 11,667.34 miles (18,776.72 km) NE | Upolu Airport (UPP) | Hawi, Hawaii, United States | |
| 6 | 11,667.27 miles (18,776.61 km) NE | Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) | Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 7 | 11,660.70 miles (18,766.03 km) NE | Waimea-Kohala Airport (MUE) | Kamuela, Hawaii, United States | |
| 8 | 11,658.80 miles (18,762.97 km) NE | Molokai Airport (MKK) | Kaunakakai, Hawaii, United States | |
| 9 | 11,649.90 miles (18,748.65 km) NE | Pōhakuloa Training Area (BSF) | Camp Pohakuloa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 10 | 11,647.45 miles (18,744.70 km) NE | Lanai Airport (LNY) | Lanai City, Hawaii, United States | |
| 11 | 11,631.35 miles (18,718.80 km) NE | Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA) | Kailua / Kona, Hawaii, United States | |
| 12 | 11,629.30 miles (18,715.50 km) NE | Wheeler AAF (HHI) | Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 13 | 11,627.50 miles (18,712.60 km) NE | Honolulu International Airport (HNL) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 14 | 11,627.50 miles (18,712.60 km) NE | Hickam Field (HIK) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 15 | 11,625.76 miles (18,709.81 km) NE | Dillingham Airfield (HDH) | Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States | |