Nonstop flight route between Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:
(4°18'47"N by 118°7'18"E)
Arrival Airport:
(5°25'19"S by 154°40'21"E)
Distance from TWU to BUA:
2,610.37 miles (4,200.98 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- TWU Airport Information
- BUA Airport Information
- Facts about TWU
- Facts about BUA
- Map of Nearest Airports to TWU
- List of Nearest Airports to TWU
- Map of Furthest Airports from TWU
- List of Furthest Airports from TWU
- 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 Tawau Airport (TWU), Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,610 miles (or 4,201 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 Tawau 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 Tawau 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: | 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 |
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 Tawau Airport (TWU):
- Tawau Airport is located at Balung, 3 km further in from the Pan Borneo Highway.
- Open air car park is provided with 500 parking lots.
- Tawau Airport (TWU) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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".
- During the early days, Tawau airport was located on Jalan Utara, literally known as Northern road about 2 mi away from Tawau.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tawau Airport handled 1,202,344 passengers last year.
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 closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
- On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
- 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.
- On 26 July, an Imperial Japanese Navy special detachment was sent to inspect Buka Airfield, but considered it unacceptable as a prospect for a speedily constructed major airfield.
- Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
| 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 | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 70.73 miles (113.82 km) NNW | Nissan Island Airport (IIS) | Nissan Island, Papua New Guinea | |
| 2 | 94.46 miles (152.01 km) SE | Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE) | Kieta, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea | |
| 3 | 136.91 miles (220.34 km) SE | Balalae Airport (BAS) | Ballalae, Solomon Islands | |
| 4 | 148.20 miles (238.51 km) SE | Choiseul Bay Airport (CHY) | Choiseul Bay, Taro Island, Solomon Islands | |
| 5 | 150.79 miles (242.66 km) SSE | Mono Airport (MNY) | Stirling Island, Treasury Islands, Solomon Islands | |
| 6 | 174.66 miles (281.09 km) WNW | Rabaul Airport (RAB) | Rabaul, Papua New Guinea | |
| 7 | 195.74 miles (315.01 km) NW | Namatanai Airport (ATN) | Namatanai, Papua New Guinea | |
| 8 | 198.38 miles (319.26 km) W | Manguna Airport (MFO) | Manguna, Papua New Guinea | |
| 9 | 216.52 miles (348.46 km) NW | Lihir Island Regional Airport (LNV) | Londolovit, Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea | |
| 10 | 218.28 miles (351.28 km) W | Jacquinot Bay Airport (JAQ) | Jacquinot Bay, Papua New Guinea | |
| 11 | 238.34 miles (383.57 km) SE | Nusatupe Airport (GZO) | Gizo / Nusatupe, Western Province, Solomon Islands | |
| 12 | 239.73 miles (385.81 km) ESE | Kaghau Airport (KGE) | Kagau Island, Solomon Islands | |
| 13 | 268.10 miles (431.47 km) SE | Munda Airport (MUA) | Munda, New Georgia Island, Solomon Islands | |
| 14 | 288.56 miles (464.39 km) SSW | Guasopa Airport (GAZ) | Guasopa, Papua New Guinea | |
| 15 | 293.54 miles (472.41 km) W | Hoskins Airport (HKN) | Hoskins, Papua New Guinea | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,780.59 miles (18,958.98 km) N | São Filipe Airport (SFL) | Fogo, Cape Verde | |
| 2 | 11,768.57 miles (18,939.63 km) N | Praia International Airport (RAI) | Praia, Cape Verde | |
| 3 | 11,768.55 miles (18,939.59 km) N | Mosteiros Airport (MTI) | Mosteiros, Cape Verde | |
| 4 | 11,749.15 miles (18,908.38 km) NNW | Maio Airport (MMO) | Maio, Cape Verde | |
| 5 | 11,678.23 miles (18,794.25 km) NNW | Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC) | Boa Vista, Cape Verde | |
| 6 | 11,678.02 miles (18,793.91 km) NW | Cap Skirring Airport (CSK) | Cap Skirring, Senegal | |
| 7 | 11,671.84 miles (18,783.96 km) WNW | Bubaque Airport (BQE) | Bubaque, Guinea-Bissau | |
| 8 | 11,662.10 miles (18,768.29 km) N | Preguiça Airport (SNE) | São Nicolau, Cape Verde | |
| 9 | 11,648.17 miles (18,745.87 km) N | Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE) | São Vicente, Cape Verde | |
| 10 | 11,647.20 miles (18,744.31 km) NW | Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG) | Ziguinchor, Senegal | |
| 11 | 11,639.22 miles (18,731.47 km) NW | Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB) | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | |
| 12 | 11,638.24 miles (18,729.88 km) NNW | Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) | Sal Island, Cape Verde | |
| 13 | 11,631.66 miles (18,719.29 km) NW | Banjul International Airport (BJL) | Banjul, Gambia | |
| 14 | 11,629.96 miles (18,716.56 km) NE | Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN) | Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil | |
| 15 | 11,622.66 miles (18,704.82 km) N | Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO) | Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde | |