Nonstop flight route between Roanoke, Virginia, United States and El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA), Roanoke, Virginia, United States and Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE), El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,072 miles (or 9,772 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 Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport and Comandante Armando Tola International 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 Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport and Comandante Armando Tola International 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 Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA):

• Federal funding for a new tower fell through in both 1993 and 1997, but in 1999 the FAA announced they were restarting the Roanoke project, paving the way for its construction.
• Designed for future expansion to accommodate additional aircraft, there has been talk of a terminal expansion, though official plans have yet to be announced.
• In addition to being known as "Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport", another name for ROA is "Woodrum Field".
• Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) has 2 runways.
• The current terminal building was designed by the Charlotte based architectural firm of Odell Associates and was built to serve as a replacement for the 1953 terminal, later demolished in 2005.
• Piedmont service originally commenced on April 16, 1948, with only a pair of flights, which carried 42 passengers.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 315,293 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 297,588 enplanements in 2009, and 316,478 in 2010.
• When facilities reached their maximum capacity, the need for upgrades became necessary for the airport to continue to grow.
• Local residents and businesses sometimes complain about the airport's limited number of non-stop flights and lack of low priced fares.
• The closest airport to Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) is Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport (BCB), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) WSW of ROA.
• The furthest airport from Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,559 miles (18,603 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE):

• Because of Comandante Armando Tola International Airport's relatively low elevation of 669 feet, planes can take off or land at Comandante Armando Tola 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.
• The closest airport to Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) is Lago Argentino Airport (ING), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) WSW of FTE.
• Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Comandante Armando Tola International Airport", other names for FTE include "Aeropuerto Internacional de El Calafate – Comandante Armando Tola" and "SAWC".
• The furthest airport from Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) is Baikal International Airport (UUD), which is nearly antipodal to Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (meaning Comandante Armando Tola International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Baikal International Airport), and is located 12,329 miles (19,842 kilometers) away in Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, Russia.