Nonstop flight route between Vaasa, Finland and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Vaasa Airport (VAA), Vaasa, Finland and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,423 miles (or 10,337 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 Vaasa Airport and King Shaka International, 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 Vaasa Airport and King Shaka International. 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 Vaasa Airport (VAA):

• The closest airport to Vaasa Airport (VAA) is Kauhava Airport (KAU), which is located 41 miles (65 kilometers) E of VAA.
• Vaasa Airport (VAA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Vaasa Airport (VAA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,923 miles (17,579 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Vaasa Airport handled 288,142 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Vaasa Airport", another name for VAA is "Vaasan lentoasemaVasa flygplats".
• Because of Vaasa Airport's relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Vaasa 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 King Shaka International (DUR):

• It is unclear what the fate of the existing Durban International Airport will be now that KSIA is complete.
• In 2013 Skytrax announced that King Shaka International Airport was the best airport in the world handling under 5 million passengers.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• As a result, a study into the risks of bird strikes at KSIA was commissioned, with special attention being paid to the Barn Swallows at Mount Moreland.
• The furthest airport from King Shaka International (DUR) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,682 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
• On 8 December 2009, it was reported that "King Shaka International Airport" was indeed the most popular name for the new airport.
• Because of King Shaka International's relatively low elevation of 295 feet, planes can take off or land at King Shaka International 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 King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• On 27 January 2014 the worlds largest passenger aircraft, an Airbus A380-800 of British Airways landed at KSIA becoming the first A380 to do so.