Nonstop flight route between Arauca, Colombia and Kandahar, Afghanistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport (AUC), Arauca, Colombia and Kabul International Airport (KDH), Kandahar, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,525 miles (or 13,720 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 Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport and Kabul International 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 Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport and Kabul International 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 Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport (AUC):

• The closest airport to Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport (AUC) is Guasdualito Airport (GDO), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) N of AUC.
• In addition to being known as "Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport", other names for AUC include "Aeropuerto Santiago Pérez Quiroz" and "APO".
• The furthest airport from Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport (AUC) is Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport (PWL), which is nearly antipodal to Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport (meaning Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport), and is located 12,408 miles (19,968 kilometers) away in Wirasaba, Central Java, Indonesia.
• Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport (AUC) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport's relatively low elevation of 423 feet, planes can take off or land at Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport 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.

Facts about Kabul International Airport (KDH):

• In addition to being known as "Kabul International Airport", other names for KDH include "Kandahar International Airport (Kandahar)" and "میدان هوایی بین المللی کندهار".
• Major battles between the Taliban and local anti-Taliban forces had been fought at the airport just days earlier, and when coalition troops arrived there were abandoned weapons - including a BM-21 still loaded with rockets - scattered around the terminal.
• The closest airport to Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Tarin Kowt Airport (TII), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) N of KDH.
• As of 2007, the airport has been repaired and expanded.
• The airfield itself was built between 1956 and 1962 by American consultants, for a cost of USD 15 million.
• The Afghan government has been slow in rebuilding the facility, the vast majority of it has been reclaimed from years of neglect and damage by Soviet and Taliban soldiers.
• The furthest airport from Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Kabul International Airport (meaning Kabul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,023 miles (19,349 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The 2009 surge in NATO operations in southern Afghanistan pushed the number of aircraft operations at the base from 1,700 to 5,000 flights a week.
• Kabul International Airport (KDH) currently has only 1 runway.
• A perimeter was quickly secured around the terminal building and airstrip, and initially all troops worked and lived in and around the main terminal building itself.
• Eight General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon close air support fighters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force were deployed to Kandahar Airfield to support the expanded NATO operation in southern Afghanistan in late 2006.