Nonstop flight route between Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,083 miles (or 4,962 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 Abu Dhabi International Airport and Istres-Le Tubé 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 Abu Dhabi International Airport and Istres-Le Tubé 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 Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH):

• The project will provide a home base for the UAE's national carrier, Etihad Airways, which will be a major user of new cargo facilities with an ultimate handling capacity of around two million tonnes of freight a year.
• The closest airport to Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) is Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), which is located 47 miles (76 kilometers) NE of AUH.
• Etihad operated its first flight to the U.S.
• Development work has started on a new passenger terminal, the main building and centerpiece of the new airport, to be between the two runways and known as the Midfield Terminal.
• The furthest airport from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,827 miles (19,033 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• The Al Bateen Airport on Abu Dhabi Island previously served as Abu Dhabi's main airport and consisted of a single airstrip with minimal facilities.
• In addition to being known as "Abu Dhabi International Airport", another name for AUH is "مطار أبوظبي الدولي".
• Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) has 2 runways.
• Because of Abu Dhabi International Airport's relatively low elevation of 88 feet, planes can take off or land at Abu Dhabi International 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• Because of Istres-Le Tubé Air Base's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Istres-Le Tubé 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.
• In addition to being known as "Istres-Le Tubé Air Base", another name for QIE is "Base aérienne 125 Istres (BA 125)Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-17".
• The furthest airport from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (meaning Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
• With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco for air transport of personnel back to the United States.
• Built prior to World War II, Istres Air Base was first used by the Armée de l'air during the early part of the war, and after the 1940 Battle of France and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government.
• The closest airport to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) ESE of QIE.