Nonstop flight route between Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ), Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,445 miles (or 10,372 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 Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ):

• The closest airport to Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ) is Datong Yungang Airport (DAT), which is located 89 miles (144 kilometers) WSW of ZQZ.
• In addition to being known as "Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport", other names for ZQZ include "张家口宁远机场" and "Zhāngjiākǒu Níngyuǎn Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ) is Antoine de Saint Exupéry Airport (OES), which is nearly antipodal to Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (meaning Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Antoine de Saint Exupéry Airport), and is located 12,435 miles (20,012 kilometers) away in San Antonio Oeste, Argentina.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• In 2009 Lajes provided rescue support of shipping lanes across the Atlantic, a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations in aircraft crossing the Atlantic, and support for the USAF's continuing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• Recently, in August 2010, Portuguese news agencies advised for the termination of the F-22 Raptor plan to use Lajes as a platform for DACT training over the Atlantic Ocean.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• Lajes Field also played a crucial role in Cold War politics.
• By 1943, the British and American armed forces were allowed basing rights in Portugal, and the Royal Air Force took over Lajes Field as RAF Station Lajes.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.