Nonstop flight route between Sola, Vanua Lava, Torba Province, Vanuatu and Freetown, Sierra Leone:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Vanua Lava Airport (SLH), Sola, Vanua Lava, Torba Province, Vanuatu and Lungi International Airport (FNA), Freetown, Sierra Leone would travel a Great Circle distance of 12,072 miles (or 19,427 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 Vanua Lava Airport and Lungi International 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 Vanua Lava Airport and Lungi International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

The distance between SLH and FNA makes them almost exactly antipodal (the exact opposite side of the world) to each other. Nonstop flights between Vanua Lava Airport and Lungi International Airport would be very impractical for the airlines, because only a lightly loaded Boeing 777-200LR would be able to make the trip. Since airlines need to be able to take as many people and cargo as possible in order to make a profit, the odds of ever seeing a nonstop flight between SLH and FNA are slim to none. However, you'll still be able to get from Sola, Vanua Lava, Torba Province, Vanuatu and Freetown, Sierra Leone by taking some connecting flights!

Did you know that one full circling of the Earth (measuring from the equator) is about 24,901.5 miles (or 40,075 kilometers), which means if you were 12,450 miles from any given point on the planet, the distance back to your starting point would be about the same -- in any direction! The same can be said for a nonstop flight between SLH and FNA!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Vanua Lava Airport (SLH):

• The furthest airport from Vanua Lava Airport (SLH) is Bakel Airport (BXE), which is nearly antipodal to Vanua Lava Airport (meaning Vanua Lava Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Bakel Airport), and is located 12,368 miles (19,904 kilometers) away in Bakel, Senegal.
• The closest airport to Vanua Lava Airport (SLH) is Mota Lava Airport (MTV), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) NE of SLH.
• Because of Vanua Lava Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Vanua Lava 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.

Facts about Lungi International Airport (FNA):

• The closest airport to Lungi International Airport (FNA) is Hastings Airport (HGS), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) SSE of FNA.
• The furthest airport from Lungi International Airport (FNA) is Ulawa Airport (RNA), which is nearly antipodal to Lungi International Airport (meaning Lungi International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ulawa Airport), and is located 12,097 miles (19,468 kilometers) away in Arona, Ulawa Island, Solomon Islands.
• The terminal building of the airport has a General Waiting Hall, a Departures Wing, and an Arrivals Wing.
• Passengers have the choice of ferry, the new Pelican Water Taxi or an ex-Isle of Wight Hovercraft docked in the Aberdeen district of Freetown to cross the bay to Freetown.
• Because of Lungi International Airport's relatively low elevation of 84 feet, planes can take off or land at Lungi International 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.
• Lungi International Airport (FNA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On August 11, 2004 at around 2:30 p.m.
• On June 3, 2007, a helicopter flight from Freetown exploded and crashed on landing at Lungi airport, killing all 22 people on board.
• Lungi International Airport handled 167,911 passengers last year.