Nonstop flight route between San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from AFA to BUA:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- AFA Airport Information
- BUA Airport Information
- Facts about AFA
- Facts about BUA
- Map of Nearest Airports to AFA
- List of Nearest Airports to AFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from AFA
- List of Furthest Airports from AFA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BUA
- List of Nearest Airports to BUA
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUA
- List of Furthest Airports from BUA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between San Rafael Airport (AFA), San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,500 miles (or 13,680 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 San Rafael 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 San Rafael 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | AFA / SAMR |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°35'17"S by 68°24'12"W |
Area Served: | San Rafael, Mendoza Province, Argentina |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 2470 feet (753 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from AFA |
More Information: | AFA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BUA / AYBK |
Airport Name: | Buka Island Airport |
Location: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°25'19"S by 154°40'21"E |
Area Served: | Buka Island, Papua New Guinea |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 11 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUA |
More Information: | BUA Maps & Info |
Facts about San Rafael Airport (AFA):
- San Rafael Airport (AFA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "San Rafael Airport", another name for AFA is "Aeropuerto San Rafael "Santiago Germano"".
- The furthest airport from San Rafael Airport (AFA) is Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA), which is nearly antipodal to San Rafael Airport (meaning San Rafael Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Luoyang Beijiao Airport), and is located 12,391 miles (19,941 kilometers) away in Luoyang, Henan, China.
- The closest airport to San Rafael Airport (AFA) is Comodoro D. Ricardo Salomón Airport (LGS), which is located 91 miles (147 kilometers) SW of AFA.
Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):
- On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
- The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
- Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- There is one navigational aid, the Buka NDB situated on nearby Sohano Island.
- 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.