Nonstop flight route between Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom and Herat, Afghanistan:
Departure Airport:
(51°36'59"N by 1°5'44"W)
Arrival Airport:
(34°12'36"N by 62°13'40"E)
Distance from BEX to HEA:
3,305.19 miles (5,319.18 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- BEX Airport Information
- HEA Airport Information
- Facts about BEX
- Facts about HEA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BEX
- List of Nearest Airports to BEX
- Map of Furthest Airports from BEX
- List of Furthest Airports from BEX
- Map of Nearest Airports to HEA
- List of Nearest Airports to HEA
- Map of Furthest Airports from HEA
- List of Furthest Airports from HEA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Benson (BEX), Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom and Herat International Airport (HEA), Herat, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,305 miles (or 5,319 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 RAF Benson and Herat 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 RAF Benson and Herat International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BEX / EGUB |
| Airport Name: | RAF Benson |
| Location: | Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 51°36'59"N by 1°5'44"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from BEX |
| More Information: | BEX Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | HEA / OAHR |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Herat, Afghanistan |
| GPS Coordinates: | 34°12'36"N by 62°13'40"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Afghanistan |
| Airport Type: | Public/Military |
| Elevation: | 3205 feet (977 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from HEA |
| More Information: | HEA Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Benson (BEX):
- The furthest airport from RAF Benson (BEX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,879 miles (19,118 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- The airfield is a well-known frost hollow, often recording the coldest temperatures in the UK.
- Building work for RAF Benson began in 1937.
- The closest airport to RAF Benson (BEX) is RAF High Wycombe (HYC), which is located only 13 miles (22 kilometers) ENE of BEX.
- Its Supermarine Spitfire and de Havilland Mosquito aircraft flew missions over occupied Europe, for example bringing back battle damage assessment pictures after Operation Chastise.
- The station retained a reconnaissance role for some years after the war, with Avro Lancaster, Spitfire, Mosquito, Gloster Meteor PR.Mk 10 and English Electric Canberra PR.Mk 3 aircraft.
- The Battles were replaced in December 1940 with Vickers Wellington medium bombers.
- The station is today the home to four squadrons of Support Helicopters, 28 Squadron, 78 Squadron with Merlin helicopters and 33 Squadron and 230 Squadron with Puma helicopters.
Facts about Herat International Airport (HEA):
- The furthest airport from Herat International Airport (HEA) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,742 miles (18,897 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
- The closest airport to Herat International Airport (HEA) is Qala i Naw Airport د قلعه نوهوائی ډګر (LQN), which is located 74 miles (119 kilometers) NE of HEA.
- Herat International Airport (HEA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Herat International Airport", other names for HEA include "Herat Airport (Herat)" and "Persian: میدان هوایی بین المللی هرات".
- ISAF use has continued since 2005, joined by the Afghan National Army Air Corps, now Afghan Air Force, and the Afghan National Police.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 13.38 miles (21.53 km) ENE | RAF High Wycombe (HYC) | High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom |     |
| 2 | 18.01 miles (28.98 km) NNW | Oxford Airport (OXF) | Oxford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 3 | 22.84 miles (36.76 km) WNW | RAF Brize Norton (BZZ) | Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 4 | 22.86 miles (36.79 km) SSE | Blackbushe Airport (BBS) | Yateley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 5 | 27.22 miles (43.81 km) SSE | RAF Odiham (ODH) | Odiham, United Kingdom | |
| 6 | 27.27 miles (43.88 km) SSE | Farnborough Airport (FAB) | Farnborough, United Kingdom | |
| 7 | 28.90 miles (46.51 km) ESE | London Heathrow Airport (LHR) | London, England, United Kingdom | |
| 8 | 29.41 miles (47.34 km) E | RAF Northolt (NHT) | Ruislip, England, United Kingdom | |
| 9 | 29.77 miles (47.92 km) S | Lasham Airfield (QLA) | Lasham, England, United Kingdom | |
| 10 | 30.10 miles (48.45 km) W | RAF Fairford (FFD) | Fairford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 11 | 32.59 miles (52.45 km) NNE | Milton Keynes Airport (KYN) | Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom | |
| 12 | 35.88 miles (57.74 km) ENE | London Luton Airport (LTN) | Luton (near London), England, United Kingdom | |
| 13 | 37.64 miles (60.57 km) ENE | Hatfield Aerodrome (HTF) | Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 14 | 39.31 miles (63.26 km) W | RAF Lyneham (LYE) | Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 15 | 47.38 miles (76.26 km) SSW | Southampton Airport (SOU) | Eastleigh (near Southampton), England, United Kingdom | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,879.28 miles (19,117.81 km) SE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,856.22 miles (19,080.68 km) SSW | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,854.23 miles (19,077.49 km) SE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,851.63 miles (19,073.31 km) ESE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,838.05 miles (19,051.45 km) ESE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,819.81 miles (19,022.09 km) SE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,815.78 miles (19,015.60 km) SE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,810.58 miles (19,007.24 km) SE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,802.08 miles (18,993.57 km) SSE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,785.98 miles (18,967.65 km) SE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,785.41 miles (18,966.73 km) SE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,767.06 miles (18,937.19 km) SE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,759.25 miles (18,924.64 km) SE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,754.85 miles (18,917.55 km) SSE | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,740.74 miles (18,894.85 km) SE | Milford Sound Airport (MFN) | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 73.71 miles (118.62 km) NE | Qala i Naw Airport د قلعه نوهوائی ډګر (LQN) | Qala i Naw, Afghanistan | |
| 2 | 127.45 miles (205.11 km) S | Farah Airport د فراه هوائی ډګر (FAH) | Farah, Afghanistan | |
| 3 | 174.89 miles (281.46 km) E | Chaghcharan Airport د چغچران هوائی ډګر (CCN) | Chaghcharan, Afghanistan | |
| 4 | 186.13 miles (299.55 km) NE | Maymana Airport د میمنه هوائی ډګر (MMZ) | Maymana, Afghanistan | |
| 5 | 193.12 miles (310.80 km) WSW | Birjand International Airport (XBJ) | Birjand, Iran | |
| 6 | 202.22 miles (325.44 km) NW | Mashhad International Airport (MHD) | Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran | |
| 7 | 218.65 miles (351.88 km) S | Zabol Airport (ACZ) | Zabol, Iran | |
| 8 | 221.18 miles (355.96 km) SE | Bost Airport د بوست هوائی ډګر (BST) | Lashkar Gah (Bost), Afghanistan | |
| 9 | 224.89 miles (361.92 km) S | Zaranj Airport (ZAJ) | Zaranj, Afghanistan | |
| 10 | 235.39 miles (378.83 km) N | Mary International Airport (MYP) | Mary, Turkmenistan | |
| 11 | 237.16 miles (381.67 km) ESE | Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) | Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan | |
| 12 | 281.16 miles (452.48 km) SE | Kabul International Airport (KDH) | Kandahar, Afghanistan | |
| 13 | 308.09 miles (495.82 km) W | Tabas Airport (TCX) | Tabas, Iran | |
| 14 | 320.93 miles (516.49 km) E | Bamyan Airport د بامیان هوائی ډګر (BIN) | Bamyan, Afghanistan | |
| 15 | 329.09 miles (529.62 km) ENE | Mazar-e Sharif International Airpوort (MZR) | Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,742.26 miles (18,897.29 km) SW | Mataveri International Airport (IPC) | Easter Island, Chile | |
| 2 | 11,148.63 miles (17,941.94 km) ESE | Totegegie Airport (GMR) | Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia | |
| 3 | 10,865.51 miles (17,486.31 km) ESE | Tureira Airport (ZTA) | Tureia, Tuamotus, French Polynesia | |
| 4 | 10,820.42 miles (17,413.73 km) SE | Pukarua Airport (PUK) | Pukarua, Tuamotus, French Polynesia | |
| 5 | 10,787.08 miles (17,360.07 km) ESE | Nukutavake Airport (NUK) | Nukutavake, Tuamotus, French Polynesia | |
| 6 | 10,625.82 miles (17,100.55 km) ESE | Hao Airport (HOI) | Hao, Tuamotu Island, French Polynesia | |
| 7 | 10,520.02 miles (16,930.28 km) SE | Fangatau Airport (FGU) | Fangatau, French Polynesia | |
| 8 | 10,456.17 miles (16,827.53 km) ESE | Raroia Airport (RRR) | Raroia, French Polynesia | |
| 9 | 10,424.56 miles (16,776.66 km) ESE | Makemo Airport (MKP) | Makemo, French Polynesia | |
| 10 | 10,366.07 miles (16,682.54 km) ESE | Anaa Airport (AAA) | Anaa, Tuamotus, French Polynesia | |
| 11 | 10,300.82 miles (16,577.52 km) ESE | Fakarava Airport (FAV) | Fakarava, Society Islands, French Polynesia | |
| 12 | 10,278.44 miles (16,541.51 km) SE | Atuona Airport (AUQ) | Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia | |
| 13 | 10,250.02 miles (16,495.77 km) ESE | Rurutu Airport (RUR) | Rurutu, French Polynesia | |
| 14 | 10,241.03 miles (16,481.30 km) ESE | Apataki Airport (APK) | Apataki, French Polynesia | |
| 15 | 10,215.83 miles (16,440.74 km) ESE | Arutua Airport (AXR) | Arutua, Tuamotus, French Polynesia | |