Nonstop flight route between Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Vunisea, Kadavu Island, Fiji:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Vunisea Airport (KDV), Vunisea, Kadavu Island, Fiji would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,445 miles (or 13,590 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 Princess Juliana International Airport and Vunisea 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 Princess Juliana International Airport and Vunisea Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM):

• Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport was started as a military airstrip in 1942.
• The closest airport to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) is L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) NE of SXM.
• Because of Princess Juliana International Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Princess Juliana 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.
• The furthest airport from Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) is Karratha Airport (KTA), which is nearly antipodal to Princess Juliana International Airport (meaning Princess Juliana International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Karratha Airport), and is located 12,252 miles (19,718 kilometers) away in Karratha / Dampier, Western Australia, Australia.
• If traffic develops as forecast, Phase III of the masterplan will be executed, consisting of an extension of the new terminal building and the construction of a full parallel taxiway system.
• Because the approach to Runway 10 is over water, pilots can become disoriented regarding their perceived altitude when operating under visual flight rules.
• However, the oil price increases since 2003 began impacting discretionary air travel worldwide by early 2008, and the prospect of further price increases threatens to reverse the recent expansion of tourist travel by jet which began with the 1980s oil glut.
• The new four-story terminal building offers 27,000 square metres of floor space and is fully air-conditioned.
• PJIA is equipped with VOR/DME and NDB.

Facts about Vunisea Airport (KDV):

• The closest airport to Vunisea Airport (KDV) is Suva International Airport (SUV), which is located 75 miles (121 kilometers) NNE of KDV.
• The furthest airport from Vunisea Airport (KDV) is Timbuktu Airport (TOM), which is nearly antipodal to Vunisea Airport (meaning Vunisea Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Timbuktu Airport), and is located 12,259 miles (19,728 kilometers) away in Timbuktu, Mali.
• Because of Vunisea Airport's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at Vunisea 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.