Nonstop flight route between Mirabel (near Montreal), Quebec, Canada and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (YMX), Mirabel (near Montreal), Quebec, Canada and King Shaka International (DUR), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,348 miles (or 13,434 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 Montréal–Mirabel International 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 Montréal–Mirabel International 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 Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (YMX):

• To ensure Mirabel's survival, all international flights for Montréal were banned from Dorval from 1975 to 1997.
• The closest airport to Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (YMX) is Cartierville Airport (YCV), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) SE of YMX.
• The furthest airport from Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (YMX) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,493 miles (18,495 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Today, Montréal–Mirabel International Airport is used almost exclusively for cargo flights, with passenger operations having ceased on October 31, 2004, twenty-nine years after the airport's opening and many years of limited, primarily charter service.
• In addition to being known as "Montréal–Mirabel International Airport", another name for YMX is "Aéroport international Montréal–Mirabel".
• Montréal–Mirabel International Airport (YMX) has 2 runways.
• Because of Montréal–Mirabel International Airport's relatively low elevation of 271 feet, planes can take off or land at Montréal–Mirabel International 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 the late 1990s, Maclean's magazine interviewed one resident, whose farm was expropriated, who said that his land was sacrificed to save the city.
• In August 2008, the Agence métropolitaine de transport said it was willing to extend its commuter rail service to the airport if passenger traffic were to return.
• The C$716 million expansion of Dorval from 2000–2005 gave it the ability to serve 20 million passengers a year, ironically accomplishing one of the goals that was to be met with the construction of Mirabel.

Facts about King Shaka International (DUR):

• King Shaka International Airport was first conceptualised in the 1970s, with construction beginning in 1973.
• The terminal does not have a public viewing deck, which has attracted public criticism.
• King Shaka International (DUR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The final obstacle was a delay in the approval of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
• The closest airport to King Shaka International (DUR) is Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) W of DUR.
• Mount Moreland, a small community located 2.6 km south of the airport, is an important roosting site for the European Barn Swallow.
• 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.
• 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.