Two-dimensional maps can be deceptive: the shortest distance between two points on the surface of the earth is rarely a straight line.
Take the journey I have just made, on a Korean budget airline, T’Way Air, between Zagreb and Seoul’s Incheon airport. The most direct flight path between the Croatian and South Korean capitals begins by aiming northeast. This “great circle” route cuts diagonally across Hungary; clips corners of both Slovakia and Poland; and continues over western Ukraine, eastern Belarus and – for two-thirds of the journey – over Russia. Were the captain to take the straightest course, the final approach would involve flying over Mongolia, China and a western corner of North Korea before descending to Incheon International Airport.
