Nonstop flight route between Waterloo, Iowa, United States and Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) (ALO), Waterloo, Iowa, United States and Madrid–Torrejón Airport (TOJ), Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,373 miles (or 7,038 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 Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) and Madrid–Torrejón 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 Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) and Madrid–Torrejón 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 Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) (ALO):

• Because of Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field)'s relatively low elevation of 873 feet, planes can take off or land at Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) 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 Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) (ALO) is Northeast Iowa Regional Airport (CCY), which is located 37 miles (60 kilometers) NNW of ALO.
• The furthest airport from Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) (ALO) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,839 miles (17,443 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) (ALO) has 3 runways.
• Northwest flew mechanics to Waterloo to inspect the Boeing 757 and arranged for an extra flight for the stranded passengers.

Facts about Madrid–Torrejón Airport (TOJ):

• Madrid–Torrejón Airport is a commercial airport in Spain.
• After the 1991 cease-fire in Iraq, plans proceeded to close Torrejon Air Base.
• The furthest airport from Madrid–Torrejón Airport (TOJ) is Palmerston North Airport (PMR), which is nearly antipodal to Madrid–Torrejón Airport (meaning Madrid–Torrejón Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Palmerston North Airport), and is located 12,386 miles (19,933 kilometers) away in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Madrid–Torrejón Airport (TOJ) is Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport[1] (MAD), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) WSW of TOJ.
• In addition to being known as "Madrid–Torrejón Airport", other names for TOJ include "Aeropuerto de Madrid/Barajas", "Torrejón Air Base" and "Base Aérea de Torrejón".
• Madrid–Torrejón Airport (TOJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In accordance with the 1988 agreement, the USAF portion of the base was returned to the Spanish government on 21 May 1996, with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing being transferred to Aviano Air Base, Italy without personnel or equipment.
• As the time approached in 1987 for the renegotiation of the existing base agreement, which had entered into force in 1983 for a five-year period, pressures mounted for a reduction of the United States military presence in Spain.