Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
LAY to BUQ: distance & flight time
Ladysmith (Ladysmith Airport) → Bulawayo (Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport)
596 mi
959 km · 518 nm
1h 46m
estimated nonstop flight time
Same time
time difference · heading north
See live LAY→BUQ fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
596 miles nonstop takes roughly 1h 46m gate to gate, flying north. Add 45–90 minutes per connection if there's no nonstop service. Both airports share the same local time, so schedules read exactly as flown.
The two airports
- LAY — Ladysmith Airport · Ladysmith, South Africa
- BUQ — Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport · Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Distances are great-circle ("as the crow flies") — the same basis airlines use for frequent-flyer miles.
Alternate airports can cut this fare
Flying from or into a nearby airport is the #1 trick our agents use to beat online prices. Call and we'll compare every combination on one call.
Near LAY
- HRS · Harrismith Airport46 mi away
- NCS · Newcastle Airport58 mi away
- PZB · Pietermaritzburg Airport84 mi away
- ULD · Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Airport103 mi away
Near BUQ
- GWE · Thornhill Air Base90 mi away
- FRW · Francistown Airport108 mi away
- HWN · Hwange National Park Airport142 mi away
- MVZ · Masvingo International Airport146 mi away
Frequently asked questions
How far is LAY from BUQ?
The flight distance from Ladysmith (LAY) to Bulawayo (BUQ) is 596 miles (959 km, 518 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from LAY to BUQ?
A nonstop flight takes about 1h 46m gate to gate. Actual time varies with winds, routing and season — eastbound transatlantic flights, for example, are usually faster than the return.
Are there nonstop flights from LAY to BUQ?
Nonstop service on LAY–BUQ depends on the season and the day of week. Run the fare search on this page with the nonstop filter applied to see current direct options; when there is no nonstop, a single connection through a carrier hub adds roughly 2–4 hours to the 1h 46m nonstop estimate.
What is the cheapest way to fly from LAY to BUQ?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on LAY–BUQ that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.
Why are some LAY to BUQ fares phone-only?
Consolidator contracts let us sell certain LAY–BUQ tickets below the price airlines permit us to publish online, so those fares can only be quoted over the phone. Call the travel desk and an agent will check phone-only inventory for your dates.