Nonstop flight route between Xieng Khouang, Laos and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH), Xieng Khouang, Laos and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,869 miles (or 9,446 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 Xieng Khouang 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 Xieng Khouang 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 Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH):

• In addition to being known as "Xieng Khouang Airport", another name for XKH is "ສະຫນາມບິນຊຽງຂວາງ".
• The closest airport to Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH) is Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ), which is located 73 miles (117 kilometers) WNW of XKH.
• 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.

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• 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.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• Neighbouring communities are Tongaat to the north-west, Verulam to the south-west, and Umdloti to the south-east.
• The largest aircraft KSIA currently has scheduled services for is the Boeing 777-300ER, with Emirates operating Dubai–Durban, despite the fact that KSIA's runway length and terminal were designed to theoretically handle regular large airliners.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• 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.