Nonstop flight route between Qaisumah, Hafar Al-Batin, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Qaisumah Domestic Airport (AQI), Qaisumah, Hafar Al-Batin, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,996 miles (or 4,821 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 Qaisumah Domestic Airport and MoD St Athan, 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 Qaisumah Domestic Airport and MoD St Athan. 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 Qaisumah Domestic Airport (AQI):

• In addition to being known as "Qaisumah Domestic Airport", another name for AQI is "مطار القيصومة المحلي".
• Qaisumah Domestic Airport (AQI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport began in 1962 as a dusty runway for a Dakota aircraft which was used at that time for transporting Saudi Aramco employees between stations in the northern region.
• The closest airport to Qaisumah Domestic Airport (AQI) is Kuwait International Airport (KWI), which is located 128 miles (206 kilometers) ENE of AQI.
• The furthest airport from Qaisumah Domestic Airport (AQI) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is nearly antipodal to Qaisumah Domestic Airport (meaning Qaisumah Domestic Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Totegegie Airport), and is located 12,069 miles (19,423 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died.
• The only squadrons to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis are the University of Wales Air Squadron, flying Grob Tutors and No 634 Volunteer Gliding Squadron using Vigilant T.1s.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The base has been home to the RAF No.
• RAF St Athan has been used to house a number of army units throughout its life and, in 2003, the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards moved from Aldershot to St Athan - the first time they have been based in Wales since they were formed in 1915.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.
• After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton.
• In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.
• St Athan also became the major RAF maintenance base for Vulcan, Victor, Buccaner, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and VC10 aircraft, originally under direct RAF control, but latterly under the auspices of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.