Nonstop flight route between Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport (YPA), Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,917 miles (or 11,132 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 Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport and Buka Island 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 Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport and Buka Island Airport. 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 Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport (YPA):

• From 17 March 1941 to 11 November 1942, the station doubled as No.
• The closest airport to Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport (YPA) is Tisdale Airport (YTT), which is located 72 miles (115 kilometers) ESE of YPA.
• This airport is now named for Floyd Glass, who learned to fly in the late 1930s, then served as a military flying training instructor during the Second World War.
• The furthest airport from Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport (YPA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,052 miles (16,178 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport (YPA) has 2 runways.

Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):

• Because of Buka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 11 feet, planes can take off or land at Buka Island 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.
• There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
• On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
• On 26 July, an Imperial Japanese Navy special detachment was sent to inspect Buka Airfield, but considered it unacceptable as a prospect for a speedily constructed major airfield.
• The furthest airport from Buka Island Airport (BUA) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
• Today the airport is the primary air portal into Bougainville, and even 60 years after the war, wreckage from the military use of the airfield by the Japanese and Americans is easily found in the area.