Nonstop flight route between Townsville, Queensland, Australia and Xieng Khouang, Laos:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Townsville Airport (TSV), Townsville, Queensland, Australia and Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH), Xieng Khouang, Laos would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,984 miles (or 6,411 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 Townsville Airport and Xieng Khouang 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 Townsville Airport and Xieng Khouang 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 Townsville Airport (TSV):

• With the new demand for international services, Townsville became the first regional Australian airport to offer direct long-distance international flights.
• Townsville Airport handled 1,644,089 passengers last year.
• Townsville Airport (TSV) has 2 runways.
• The PNG PM wants a Townsville to Port Moresby route re-established by the end of 2013.
• The closest airport to Townsville Airport (TSV) is Charters Towers Airport (CXT), which is located 63 miles (102 kilometers) SSW of TSV.
• Because of Townsville Airport's relatively low elevation of 18 feet, planes can take off or land at Townsville 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.
• In April 1980, Sir Rupert Murdoch and Sir Peter Abeles, the new owners of Ansett, were petitioning the Federal Government for international flights to begin in some regional centres of Australia.
• The airport was expanded again in 1987 when a redevelopment of the international terminal opened to cater for domestic traffic.
• In addition to being known as "Townsville Airport", other names for TSV include "Garbutt Airport" and "Townsville International Airport".
• The terminal is serviced by bus, with regular connections to the CBD, Strand and Ferry terminals.
• The airport is the Northern Australian focus city for Virgin Australia, and has developed an aerospace precinct attracting major civil and military maintenance activities.
• The furthest airport from Townsville Airport (TSV) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,884 miles (19,125 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.
• Townsville Airport was the first Australian regional city airport to be granted international airport status commencing in 1980.

Facts about Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH):

• The closest airport to Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH) is Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ), which is located 73 miles (117 kilometers) WNW of XKH.
• In addition to being known as "Xieng Khouang Airport", another name for XKH is "ສະຫນາມບິນຊຽງຂວາງ".
• The furthest airport from Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH) is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), which is nearly antipodal to Xieng Khouang Airport (meaning Xieng Khouang Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maria Reiche Neuman Airport), and is located 12,097 miles (19,468 kilometers) away in Nazca, Ica Region, Peru.