Nonstop flight route between Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom and Avarua, Cook Islands:
Departure Airport:
(51°36'59"N by 1°5'44"W)
Arrival Airport:
(21°12'10"S by 159°48'20"W)
Distance from BEX to RAR:
10,044.42 miles (16,164.89 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- BEX Airport Information
- RAR Airport Information
- Facts about BEX
- Facts about RAR
- 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 RAR
- List of Nearest Airports to RAR
- Map of Furthest Airports from RAR
- List of Furthest Airports from RAR
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Benson (BEX), Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom and Rarotonga International Airport (RAR), Avarua, Cook Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,044 miles (or 16,165 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 Rarotonga 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 Rarotonga 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: | RAR / NCRG |
| Airport Name: | Rarotonga International Airport |
| Location: | Avarua, Cook Islands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 21°12'10"S by 159°48'20"W |
| Area Served: | Avarua |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 19 feet (6 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RAR |
| More Information: | RAR Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Benson (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 closest airport to RAF Benson (BEX) is RAF High Wycombe (HYC), which is located only 13 miles (22 kilometers) ENE of BEX.
- Benson is currently home to 28 Squadron, 78 Squadron, 33 Squadron, 230 Squadron and also to Oxford University Air Squadron and No.
- 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 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.
Facts about Rarotonga International Airport (RAR):
- Because of Rarotonga International Airport's relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Rarotonga 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.
- The closest airport to Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) is Mangaia Island Airport (MGS), which is located 131 miles (211 kilometers) ESE of RAR.
- The furthest airport from Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) is Faya-Largeau Airport (FYT), which is nearly antipodal to Rarotonga International Airport (meaning Rarotonga International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Faya-Largeau Airport), and is located 12,199 miles (19,632 kilometers) away in Faya-Largeau, Chad.
- Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) currently has only 1 runway.
- The airport first opened in 1975 on the site of a former U.S.
- Another outbound view of Rarotonga Airport and the island's mountainous interior
- Air Rarotonga Saab 340 inter-island airliner at the airport
- In 2003, the terminal and departure and check-in areas were revamped at a cost of US$650,000.
| 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 | 131.09 miles (210.96 km) ESE | Mangaia Island Airport (MGS) | Mangaia Island, Cook Islands | |
| 2 | 165.33 miles (266.08 km) NE | Mitiaro Island Airport (MOI) | Mitiaro Island, Cook Islands | |
| 3 | 175.31 miles (282.13 km) ENE | Akatoka Manava Airport (Mauke Airport) (MUK) | Mauke Island, Cook Islands | |
| 4 | 547.88 miles (881.73 km) E | Rurutu Airport (RUR) | Rurutu, French Polynesia | |
| 5 | 594.38 miles (956.57 km) ENE | Maupiti Airport (MAU) | Maupiti, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia | |
| 6 | 620.67 miles (998.87 km) ENE | Bora Bora Airport (BOB) | Bora Bora, French Polynesia | |
| 7 | 653.11 miles (1,051.08 km) ENE | Huahine – Fare Airport (HUH) | Huahine, Society Islands, French Polynesia | |
| 8 | 672.50 miles (1,082.28 km) W | Niue International Airport (IUE) | Alofi, Niue | |
| 9 | 702.99 miles (1,131.35 km) ENE | Moorea Airport (MOZ) | Moorea, Windward Islands, French Polynesia | |
| 10 | 710.36 miles (1,143.21 km) ENE | Fa'a'ā International Airport (PPT) | Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia | |
| 11 | 751.93 miles (1,210.11 km) N | Manihiki Island Airport (MHX) | Manihiki Island, Cook Islands | |
| 12 | 795.64 miles (1,280.46 km) NW | Fitiuta Airport (FTI) | Fiti‘uta, American Samoa, United States | |
| 13 | 799.66 miles (1,286.93 km) NW | Tau Airport (TAV) | Tau, American Samoa | |
| 14 | 809.93 miles (1,303.45 km) NW | Ofu Airport (OFU) | Ofu, American Samoa | |
| 15 | 849.61 miles (1,367.32 km) ENE | Mataiva Airport (MVT) | Mataiva, French Polynesia | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,199.06 miles (19,632.44 km) NNE | Faya-Largeau Airport (FYT) | Faya-Largeau, Chad | |
| 2 | 12,150.79 miles (19,554.75 km) NW | Kufra Airport (AKF) | Kufra, Libya | |
| 3 | 11,926.76 miles (19,194.22 km) N | Abéché Airport (AEH) | Abéché, Chad | |
| 4 | 11,888.24 miles (19,132.23 km) N | Oum-Hadjer Airport (OUM) | Oum Hadjer, Chad | |
| 5 | 11,882.82 miles (19,123.50 km) NNW | Geneina Airport (EGN) | Geneina, Sudan | |
| 6 | 11,882.03 miles (19,122.23 km) WNW | Sharq Al-Owainat Airport (GSQ) | Sharq Al-Owainat, Egypt | |
| 7 | 11,872.80 miles (19,107.38 km) NNE | Ati Airport (ATV) | Ati, Chad | |
| 8 | 11,853.10 miles (19,075.67 km) NE | Mao Airport (AMO) | Mao, Chad | |
| 9 | 11,813.07 miles (19,011.24 km) NNW | El Fashir Airport (ELF) | El Fasher, Sudan | |
| 10 | 11,804.69 miles (18,997.75 km) N | Mongo Airport (MVO) | Mongo, Chad | |
| 11 | 11,801.69 miles (18,992.93 km) N | Marsa Brega Airport (LMQ) | Brega, Libya | |
| 12 | 11,793.59 miles (18,979.89 km) NNE | Bokoro Airport (BKR) | Bokoro, Chad | |
| 13 | 11,791.34 miles (18,976.27 km) NE | Bol-Berim Airport (OTC) | Bol, Chad | |
| 14 | 11,761.42 miles (18,928.12 km) N | Abou-Deïa Airport (AOD) | Abou-Deia, Chad | |
| 15 | 11,758.22 miles (18,922.97 km) W | Dongola Airport (DOG) | Dongola, Sudan | |