Nonstop flight route between Hailey, Idaho, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SUN to BUA:
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- About this route
- SUN Airport Information
- BUA Airport Information
- Facts about SUN
- Facts about BUA
- Map of Nearest Airports to SUN
- List of Nearest Airports to SUN
- Map of Furthest Airports from SUN
- List of Furthest Airports from SUN
- Map of Nearest Airports to BUA
- List of Nearest Airports to BUA
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUA
- List of Furthest Airports from BUA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN), Hailey, Idaho, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,528 miles (or 10,505 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 Friedman Memorial Airport and Buka Island 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 Friedman Memorial Airport and Buka Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SUN / KSUN |
Airport Name: | Friedman Memorial Airport |
Location: | Hailey, Idaho, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°30'14"N by 114°17'44"W |
Area Served: | Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley |
Operator/Owner: | City of Hailey |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5318 feet (1,621 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SUN |
More Information: | SUN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BUA / AYBK |
Airport Name: | Buka Island Airport |
Location: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°25'19"S by 154°40'21"E |
Area Served: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 11 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUA |
More Information: | BUA Maps & Info |
Facts about Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN):
- The closest airport to Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) is Challis Airport (CHL), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) N of SUN.
- In the 1970s, the airport was served by Sun Valley Airlines using de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Convair 440, Piper Navajo and other propeller-driven aircraft.
- Because of Friedman Memorial Airport's high elevation of 5,318 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SUN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SUN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 10,794 miles (17,372 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):
- Because of Buka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 11 feet, planes can take off or land at Buka Island 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 origins of the airfield begin in 1941 when Australian troops built gun pits around a primitive airstrip in December 1941.
- It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
- The furthest airport from Buka Island Airport (BUA) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
- The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
- In January 1944, the Allies drove the Japanese out of Buka, and the airfield was used for operations against the Japanese over New Guinea.
- Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.