Nonstop flight route between Westfield / Springfield, Massachusetts, United States and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF), Westfield / Springfield, Massachusetts, United States and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,783 miles (or 6,088 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 Westfield-Barnes Regional 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 Westfield-Barnes Regional 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 Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF):

• This restaurant has recently closed, and the space is now vacant and empty.
• Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport", another name for BAF is "(formerly Barnes Municipal Airport)".
• The closest airport to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF) is Westover Air Reserve Base (CEF), which is located only 10 miles (15 kilometers) ENE of BAF.
• The airport covers 1,200 acres  at an elevation of 270 feet above mean sea level.
• The furthest airport from Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,728 miles (18,874 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The airport recently opened a new administration and terminal which replaced a terminal that housed the original control tower.
• Five Star Jet Center, the original established FBO at Barnes, operates out of the lobby in the new terminal building as well as the adjacent original Airport FBO.
• Between 1939 and 1940, the administration building, hangar, and the beacon light were built with grant money totaling near $90,000.
• Because of Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 270 feet, planes can take off or land at Westfield-Barnes Regional 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):

• The main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain transports from the airfield from September to November 1944.
• 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• 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.
• Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.