Nonstop flight route between Nairobi, Kenya and Shafter, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from WIL to MIT:
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- About this route
- WIL Airport Information
- MIT Airport Information
- Facts about WIL
- Facts about MIT
- Map of Nearest Airports to WIL
- List of Nearest Airports to WIL
- Map of Furthest Airports from WIL
- List of Furthest Airports from WIL
- Map of Nearest Airports to MIT
- List of Nearest Airports to MIT
- Map of Furthest Airports from MIT
- List of Furthest Airports from MIT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Wilson Airport (WIL), Nairobi, Kenya and Shafter Airport (MIT), Shafter, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,617 miles (or 15,477 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 Wilson Airport and Shafter 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 Wilson Airport and Shafter Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | WIL / HKNW |
Airport Name: | Wilson Airport |
Location: | Nairobi, Kenya |
GPS Coordinates: | 1°19'12"S by 36°48'53"E |
Area Served: | Nairobi |
Operator/Owner: | Kenya Airports Authority |
Airport Type: | Public, Civilian |
Elevation: | 5546 feet (1,690 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from WIL |
More Information: | WIL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MIT / KMIT |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Shafter, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 35°30'20"N by 119°11'30"W |
Area Served: | Shafter, California |
Operator/Owner: | Minter Field Airport District |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 424 feet (129 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from MIT |
More Information: | MIT Maps & Info |
Facts about Wilson Airport (WIL):
- The furthest airport from Wilson Airport (WIL) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,619 miles (18,698 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
- Wilson Airport (WIL) has 2 runways.
- Because of Wilson Airport's high elevation of 5,546 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at WIL. Combined with a high temperature, this could make WIL a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- As a result of faster check-in times and fewer flight delays, as compared to Nairobi International Airport, Wilson Airport is commonly used by business executive aircraft for domestic and international travel.
- The airport serves domestic and international traffic.
- The closest airport to Wilson Airport (WIL) is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) E of WIL.
- Airkenya and other small airlines use Wilson Airport for scheduled domestic passenger services, instead of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
- In 2012 Kiss TV did a 15-minute report called dying Wilson.
Facts about Shafter Airport (MIT):
- In addition to being known as "Shafter Airport", another name for MIT is "Minter Field".
- The closest airport to Shafter Airport (MIT) is Meadows Field (BFL), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) ESE of MIT.
- The name was derived from close proximity to the highway of the same name.
- The furthest airport from Shafter Airport (MIT) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,404 miles (18,353 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- The Gossamer Condor piloted by Bryan Allen won the first Kremer prize on August 23, 1977 by completing a figure '8' course specified by the Royal Aeronautical Society at Minter Field.
- Because of Shafter Airport's relatively low elevation of 424 feet, planes can take off or land at Shafter 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.
- Shafter Airport (MIT) has 2 runways.
- Lerdo Field, as the airport was initially known during World War II was first opened in June 1941 when the United States Army Air Corps dispatched a small garrison of airmen to open an airfield at Shafter.
- With the end of the war in 1945, airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use in March 1948.