Nonstop flight route between Big Spring, Texas, United States and Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States and Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ), Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,612 miles (or 9,031 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 Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield and Astor Piazzolla 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 Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield and Astor Piazzolla 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 Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS):

• The base was declared surplus and was turned over to the War Assets Administration after being closed.
• In its continuing effort to cut costs, ATC made some major changes in the undergraduate pilot training program.
• The facility was brought back into service as a primary training installation because of the Korean War and the need for additional pilots.
• In 1956, the Air Defense Command 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was transferred to Webb from Stewart Air Force Base in New York to defend the southern United States border on air intercept missions as part of the Central Air Defense Force.
• The furthest airport from Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,166 miles (17,969 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS) is Midland Airpark (MDD), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) WSW of BGS.
• By the mid-1970s, the end of the Vietnam War, the associated financial costs of that conflict and related cuts in USAF force structure and future defense budgets meant a marked decrease in the need for Air Force pilots.
• The airfield and flight line was converted to an uncontrolled/UNICOM-only general aviation airport renamed Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport, serving the City of Big Spring.

Facts about Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ):

• The existing terminal building was constructed in 1978 for the FIFA World Cup.
• In addition to being known as "Astor Piazzolla International Airport", another name for MDQ is "Aeropuerto Internacional de Mar del Plata "Ástor Piazzolla"".
• Because of Astor Piazzolla International Airport's relatively low elevation of 71 feet, planes can take off or land at Astor Piazzolla 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 Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) is Miramar Airport (MJR), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of MDQ.
• Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) is Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH), which is nearly antipodal to Astor Piazzolla International Airport (meaning Astor Piazzolla International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Weihai Dashuibo Airport), and is located 12,384 miles (19,930 kilometers) away in Weihai, Shandong, China.
• Also known as Mar del Plata Airport, it provides domestic flights on Austral Líneas Aéreas, Sol Líneas Aéreas, and Líneas Aéreas del Estado.Aerolíneas Argentinas used to fly to this airport, their services are now performed by Austral Airlines.