Nonstop flight route between Sochi, Krasnodar, Russia and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sochi International Airport, Russia (AER), Sochi, Krasnodar, Russia and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,997 miles (or 3,214 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 relatively short distance between Sochi International Airport, Russia and RAF Fairford, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Sochi International Airport, Russia (AER):

• The airport authority plans to extend the runway up to 3.5 km, with a portion overlapping the Mzymta River at a width of 300 m.
• Because of Sochi International Airport, Russia's relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Sochi International Airport, Russia 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.
• In addition to being known as "Sochi International Airport, Russia", another name for AER is "Международный Аэропорт Сочи".
• The closest airport to Sochi International Airport, Russia (AER) is Sukhumi Babushara Airport (SUI), which is located 72 miles (116 kilometers) SE of AER.
• Passenger traffic went from 902,000 embarkations in 1965 to more than 2.3 million in 1990.
• Sochi International Airport, Russia (AER) has 2 runways.
• On 20 November 2006, the airport was auctioned to Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element group for 5.5 billion roubles.
• The furthest airport from Sochi International Airport, Russia (AER) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 10,999 miles (17,701 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.
• Due to the deteriorating airfield facilities and its unique NATO heavy bomber mission, RAF Fairford underwent a $100 million upgrade of its runway and fuel systems in the largest NATO funded airfield construction project within a NATO country since the end of the Cold War.
• RAF Fairford was constructed in 1944 to serve as an airfield for British and American troop carriers and gliders for the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II.
• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.