Nonstop flight route between Ambato, Ecuador and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chachoan Airport (ATF), Ambato, Ecuador and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,271 miles (or 6,874 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 Chachoan 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 Chachoan 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 Chachoan Airport (ATF):

• In addition to being known as "Chachoan Airport", another name for ATF is "Aeropuerto Chachoan".
• Because of Chachoan Airport's high elevation of 8,502 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at ATF. Combined with a high temperature, this could make ATF a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Chachoan Airport (ATF) is Pinang Kampai Airport (DUM), which is nearly antipodal to Chachoan Airport (meaning Chachoan Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Pinang Kampai Airport), and is located 12,409 miles (19,971 kilometers) away in Dumai, Sumatra, Indonesia.
• The closest airport to Chachoan Airport (ATF) is Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) N of ATF.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• 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.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• During the Portuguese Colonial War, from 1961 to 1975, the Air Force Hospital at Lajes operated as the main centre for treatment and rehabilitation of mutilated and heavy burned soldiers of the three services of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
• 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".
• 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.
• 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 supported the large airlift during the Gulf War.
• In the summer of 1984, Lajes undertook a new mission known as "SILK PURSE." Boeing EC-135s began operating out of Lajes Field as an airborne command post for the U.S.