Nonstop flight route between Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga and Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU), Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga and Tarin Kowt Airport (TII), Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,647 miles (or 13,916 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 Fuaʻamotu International Airport and Tarin Kowt 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 Fuaʻamotu International Airport and Tarin Kowt 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 Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU):

• Fuaʻamotu International Airport is an international airport in Tonga.
• It is the strength of the runway rather than the length that restricts operations from Fuaʻamotu.
• Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) is Lifuka Island Airport (HPA), which is located 114 miles (183 kilometers) NNE of TBU.
• Until August 2006, Peau Vavaʻu used a DC-3 on their domestic routes, but this has recently been replaced with a Jetstream 41.
• The furthest airport from Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) is Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport (TMR), which is nearly antipodal to Fuaʻamotu International Airport (meaning Fuaʻamotu International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport), and is located 12,322 miles (19,830 kilometers) away in Tamanrasset, Algeria.
• Under Tongan law, Fuaʻamotu International Airport is closed on Sundays — only to be opened in distress, after the minister's approval.
• Because of Fuaʻamotu International Airport's relatively low elevation of 126 feet, planes can take off or land at Fuaʻamotu 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.

Facts about Tarin Kowt Airport (TII):

• In addition to the Afghan Air Force and Afghan National Police, the U.S military and the International Security Assistance Force also have presence.
• Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) currently has only 1 runway.
• Tarin Kowt Airport is a domestic airport located in southeastern Afghanistan, one mile south of Tarin Kowt, a village in the province of Urozgan.
• In addition to being known as "Tarin Kowt Airport", another name for TII is "Tarin Kowt Airport (Tarin Kowt)".
• The closest airport to Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) is Kabul International Airport (KDH), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) S of TII.
• Because of Tarin Kowt Airport's high elevation of 4,495 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at TII. Combined with a high temperature, this could make TII a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,967 miles (19,258 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.