Nonstop flight route between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and East London, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from YAM to ELS:
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- About this route
- YAM Airport Information
- ELS Airport Information
- Facts about YAM
- Facts about ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to YAM
- List of Nearest Airports to YAM
- Map of Furthest Airports from YAM
- List of Furthest Airports from YAM
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM), Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,839 miles (or 14,225 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 Sault Ste. Marie Airport and East London 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 Sault Ste. Marie Airport and East London Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | YAM / CYAM |
Airport Name: | Sault Ste. Marie Airport |
Location: | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 46°29'5"N by 84°30'33"W |
Operator/Owner: | Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 632 feet (193 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from YAM |
More Information: | YAM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ELS / FAEL |
Airport Name: | East London Airport |
Location: | East London, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E |
Area Served: | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 436 feet (133 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Facts about Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM):
- The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency.
- Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM) has 2 runways.
- Because of Sault Ste. Marie Airport's relatively low elevation of 632 feet, planes can take off or land at Sault Ste. Marie 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 Canadian government opened the airport in 1961 and operated it until 1998, when it handed control over to the newly formed Sault Ste.
- The closest airport to Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM) is Chippewa County International Airport (CIU), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) S of YAM.
- The furthest airport from Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,093 miles (17,853 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- East London Airport resides at an elevation of 435 feet above mean sea level.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- The airport had an inauspicious beginning in 1927, when Lieut Colonel Alistair Miller asked the East London town council to help establish a municipal aerodrome at Woodbrook, west of the city.
- Because of East London Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at East London 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 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.
- The furthest airport from East London Airport (ELS) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.