Nonstop flight route between Saipan Island, Northern Mariana Islands and Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia:
Departure Airport:
(15°7'8"N by 145°43'45"E)
Arrival Airport:
(4°18'47"N by 118°7'18"E)
Distance from SPN to TWU:
2,019.62 miles (3,250.25 km)
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- About this route
- SPN Airport Information
- TWU Airport Information
- Facts about SPN
- Facts about TWU
- Map of Nearest Airports to SPN
- List of Nearest Airports to SPN
- Map of Furthest Airports from SPN
- List of Furthest Airports from SPN
- Map of Nearest Airports to TWU
- List of Nearest Airports to TWU
- Map of Furthest Airports from TWU
- List of Furthest Airports from TWU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Saipan International Airport (SPN), Saipan Island, Northern Mariana Islands and Tawau Airport (TWU), Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,020 miles (or 3,250 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 relatively short distance between Saipan International Airport and Tawau Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SPN / PGSN |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Saipan Island, Northern Mariana Islands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 15°7'8"N by 145°43'45"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Commonwealth Ports Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 215 feet (66 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SPN |
| More Information: | SPN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | TWU / WBKW |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 4°18'47"N by 118°7'18"E |
| Area Served: | Tawau Division, Sabah, East Malaysia |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Malaysia |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 57 feet (17 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from TWU |
| More Information: | TWU Maps & Info |
Facts about Saipan International Airport (SPN):
- The closest airport to Saipan International Airport (SPN) is Tinian International Airport (TIQ), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SW of SPN.
- SPN was a sugarcane field before the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service constructed a temporary landing field on the site in 1933.
- In addition to being known as "Saipan International Airport", other names for SPN include "Francisco C. Ada Airport" and "GSN".
- Because of Saipan International Airport's relatively low elevation of 215 feet, planes can take off or land at Saipan 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.
- With the end of the war the wing's four bomb groups were all returned to the United States, with their B-29s either being flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines for scrapping, or were flown to storage facilities in Texas or Arizona.
- The furthest airport from Saipan International Airport (SPN) is Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho) (SSA), which is nearly antipodal to Saipan International Airport (meaning Saipan International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho)), and is located 12,125 miles (19,514 kilometers) away in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
- Once in American hands, Isely Field was expanded considerably to support Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortress operations.
- Saipan International Airport (SPN) currently has only 1 runway.
- A Star Marianas plane crashed during takeoff on November 17, 2012 on its return from Tinian.
Facts about Tawau Airport (TWU):
- Open air car park is provided with 500 parking lots.
- Because of Tawau Airport's relatively low elevation of 57 feet, planes can take off or land at Tawau 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.
- However on 15 September 1995, a Malaysian Airlines Fokker 50 from Kota Kinabalu touched down 500 m before the end of the 2,200 m long runway.
- The furthest airport from Tawau Airport (TWU) is Coari Airport (CIZ), which is nearly antipodal to Tawau Airport (meaning Tawau Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Coari Airport), and is located 12,350 miles (19,875 kilometers) away in Coari, Amazonas, Brazil.
- According to a survey, the old airport has one of the shortest runways in the country.
- Tawau Airport (TWU) currently has only 1 runway.
- Taxi coupon or town shuttle bus ticket to Tawau or Semporna can be bought at the respective counters inside the terminal.
- Tawau Airport handled 1,202,344 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to Tawau Airport (TWU) is Nunukan Airport (NNX), which is located 34 miles (54 kilometers) WSW of TWU.
- In addition to being known as "Tawau Airport", another name for TWU is "Lapangan Terbang Tawau".
- The airport was subsequently opened to public in December 2001.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11.06 miles (17.80 km) SW | Tinian International Airport (TIQ) | Tinian Island, Northern Mariana Islands |     |
| 2 | 72.92 miles (117.36 km) SSW | Rota International Airport (ROP) | Rota Island, Northern Mariana Islands | |
| 3 | 119.13 miles (191.72 km) SSW | Andersen Air Force Base (UAM) | Agana, Guam | |
| 4 | 129.06 miles (207.70 km) SSW | Guam International Airport (GUM) | Hagåtña, Guam | |
| 5 | 533.30 miles (858.26 km) SW | Falalop Airfield (ULI) | Falalop Island, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | |
| 6 | 645.75 miles (1,039.22 km) SW | Yap International Airport (YAP) | Yap, Federated States of Micronesia | |
| 7 | 671.70 miles (1,081.00 km) SE | Chuuk International Airport (TKK) | Weno, Federated States of Micronesia | |
| 8 | 726.36 miles (1,168.96 km) NNW | Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2 (IWO) | Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, Japan | |
| 9 | 829.80 miles (1,335.42 km) NE | Minamitorishima Air Field (MUS) | Minami-Tori-shima, Japan | |
| 10 | 927.56 miles (1,492.75 km) SW | Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR) | Koror, Palau | |
| 11 | 1,015.16 miles (1,633.73 km) ESE | Pohnpei International Airport (PNI) | Kolonia, Federated States of Micronesia | |
| 12 | 1,146.10 miles (1,844.46 km) E | Enewetak Auxiliary Airfield (ENT) | Enewetak, Marshall Islands | |
| 13 | 1,192.41 miles (1,919.00 km) NW | Minami-Daito Airport (MMD) | Minami Daito, Okinawa, Japan | |
| 14 | 1,192.72 miles (1,919.50 km) S | Momote Airport (MAS) | Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea | |
| 15 | 1,193.19 miles (1,920.24 km) NW | Kitadaito Airport (KTD) | Kitadaito, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,125.20 miles (19,513.57 km) ESE | Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho) (SSA) | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil | |
| 2 | 12,118.20 miles (19,502.30 km) E | Ilhéus/Bahia-Jorge Amado Airport (IOS) | Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil | |
| 3 | 12,104.44 miles (19,480.16 km) ESE | Porto Seguro Airport (BPS) | Porto Seguro, Brazil | |
| 4 | 12,094.54 miles (19,464.23 km) SE | Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) | Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil | |
| 5 | 12,036.52 miles (19,370.86 km) SSE | Maceió/Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport (MCZ) | Maceió, Brazil | |
| 6 | 11,996.47 miles (19,306.39 km) E | Pedro Otacílio Figueiredo Airport (VDC) | Vitória da Conquista, Brazil | |
| 7 | 11,951.65 miles (19,234.27 km) S | Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) | Recife, Brazil | |
| 8 | 11,932.95 miles (19,204.17 km) ESE | Coronel Horácio de Mattos Airport (LEC) | Lençõis, Bahia, Brazil | |
| 9 | 11,905.05 miles (19,159.28 km) SE | Vitória-Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport (Goiabeiras) (VIX) | Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil | |
| 10 | 11,884.00 miles (19,125.40 km) S | Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA) | João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil | |
| 11 | 11,883.39 miles (19,124.42 km) SSE | Presidente João Suassuna Airport (CPV) | Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil | |
| 12 | 11,866.48 miles (19,097.20 km) E | Guanambi Airport (GNM) | Guanambi, Bahia, Brazil | |
| 13 | 11,864.21 miles (19,093.54 km) ESE | Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport (GVR) | Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil | |
| 14 | 11,853.53 miles (19,076.36 km) SE | Petrolina–Senador Nilo Coelho Airport (PNZ) | Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil | |
| 15 | 11,834.75 miles (19,046.13 km) SE | Raimundo de Andrade Airport (CDI) | Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Brazil | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 33.64 miles (54.15 km) WSW | Nunukan Airport (NNX) | Nunukan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia | |
| 2 | 34.02 miles (54.74 km) ENE | Semporna Airport (SMM) | Sabah, Malaysia | |
| 3 | 51.59 miles (83.02 km) NNE | Lahad Datu Airport (LDU) | Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia | |
| 4 | 61.79 miles (99.45 km) SSW | Bunyu Airport (BYQ) | Bunyu, Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia | |
| 5 | 78.22 miles (125.88 km) SSW | Juwata Airport (TRK) | Tarakan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia | |
| 6 | 109.86 miles (176.80 km) N | Sandakan Airport (SDK) | Sandakan, Malaysia | |
| 7 | 122.59 miles (197.28 km) ENE | Sanga-Sanga Airport (TWT) | Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines | |
| 8 | 152.76 miles (245.84 km) WNW | Lapangan Terbang Keningau Keningau Airport (KGU) | Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia | |
| 9 | 156.51 miles (251.88 km) SSW | Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) | Tanjung Redeb, Berau, East Kalimantan, Indonesia | |
| 10 | 165.69 miles (266.65 km) W | Long Pasia Airport (GSA) | Long Pasia, Sabah, Malaysia | |
| 11 | 170.89 miles (275.02 km) W | Juvai Semaring Airport (LBW) | Long Bawan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia | |
| 12 | 173.94 miles (279.93 km) W | Ba'kelalan Airport (BKM) | Bakalalan, Sarawak, Malaysia | |
| 13 | 175.08 miles (281.77 km) W | Long Semado Airport (LSM) | Long Semado, Sarawak, Malaysia | |
| 14 | 181.29 miles (291.75 km) NW | Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) | Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia | |
| 15 | 181.79 miles (292.56 km) W | Long Sukang Airport (LSU) | Long Sukang, Sarawak, Malaysia | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,349.57 miles (19,874.66 km) E | Coari Airport (CIZ) | Coari, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 2 | 12,283.46 miles (19,768.26 km) WSW | Ponta Pelada Airport (PLL) | Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 3 | 12,283.16 miles (19,767.78 km) SW | Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes–Manaus International Airport (MAO) | Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 4 | 12,230.20 miles (19,682.56 km) ESE | Tefé Airport (TFF) | Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 5 | 12,195.60 miles (19,626.87 km) SSE | Barcelos Airport (BAZ) | Barcelos, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 6 | 12,152.07 miles (19,556.81 km) SE | Lábrea Airport (LBR) | Lábrea, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 7 | 12,142.11 miles (19,540.78 km) WSW | Maués Airport (MBZ) | Maués, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 8 | 12,102.52 miles (19,477.07 km) SSE | Porto Velho-Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport (Belmonte) (PVH) | Porto Velho, Brazil | |
| 9 | 12,089.04 miles (19,455.37 km) E | Carauari Airport (CAF) | Carauari, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 10 | 12,066.75 miles (19,419.50 km) WSW | Júlio Belém Airport (PIN) | Parintins, Amazonas, Brazil | |
| 11 | 12,031.82 miles (19,363.29 km) W | Itaituba Airport (ITB) | Itaituba, Pará, Brazil | |
| 12 | 12,011.23 miles (19,330.15 km) WSW | Porto de Trombetas Airport (TMT) | Porto Trombetas, Oriximiná, Pará, Brazil | |
| 13 | 11,992.40 miles (19,299.84 km) SSW | Aripuanã Airport (AIR) | Aripuanã, Mato Grosso, Brazil | |
| 14 | 11,983.73 miles (19,285.90 km) S | José Coleto Airport (JPR) | Ji-Paraná, Rondônia, Brazil | |
| 15 | 11,962.13 miles (19,251.14 km) SSW | Juruena Airport (JRN) | Juruena, Mato Grosso, Brazil | |