Nonstop flight route between Santa Ana, California, United States and East London, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SNA to ELS:
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- About this route
- SNA Airport Information
- ELS Airport Information
- Facts about SNA
- Facts about ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to SNA
- List of Nearest Airports to SNA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SNA
- List of Furthest Airports from SNA
- 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 John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California, United States and East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,465 miles (or 16,842 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 John Wayne 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 John Wayne 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: | SNA / KSNA |
Airport Name: | John Wayne Airport |
Location: | Santa Ana, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°40'32"N by 117°52'5"W |
Area Served: | Orange County, California |
Operator/Owner: | Orange County |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 56 feet (17 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SNA |
More Information: | SNA 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 John Wayne Airport (SNA):
- In addition to continuing to serve aviation, the field became an important drag racing center.
- Because of John Wayne Airport's relatively low elevation of 56 feet, planes can take off or land at John Wayne 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 main passenger terminal, the Thomas F.
- John Wayne Airport (SNA) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to John Wayne Airport (SNA) is MCAS El Toro (NZJ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) E of SNA.
- Terminal C opened in November 2011 and added seven new gates, a dedicated commuter gate area and new eateries and retail.
- In 1967, the 22,000-square-foot Eddie Martin Terminal was constructed to accommodate 400,000 annual passengers.
- The furthest airport from John Wayne Airport (SNA) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,490 miles (18,491 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- In 1926, Eddie Martin was finally able to acquire a hangar for his airport, a portable wooden building which sold for $350.
- After the Orange County Airport was renamed John Wayne Airport in 1979, the John Wayne Associates commissioned sculptor Robert Summers to create a bronze statue of "the Duke." The 9-foot statue, created at Hoka Hey Foundry in Dublin, Texas, was dedicated to the County on November 4, 1982.
- John Wayne Airport is an international airport in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, hence the IATA airport code.
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- 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.
- East London Airport resides at an elevation of 435 feet above mean sea level.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting.
- 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.
- In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.