Nonstop flight route between Big Spring, Texas, United States and Thessaloniki, Greece:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States and Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" (SKG), Thessaloniki, Greece would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,289 miles (or 10,121 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 Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia", 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 Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia". 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):

• In August 1972, ATC established a pilot instructor training course for Vietnamese Air Force instructors at Webb AFB, Texas.
• 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.
• At that time, nearly 6,000 students had graduated and the field's training aircraft had flown approximately 400,000 hours and more than 60 million miles.
• Perhaps the most dominant feature on the ATC landscape in 1974 was the serious fuel shortage the command had to contend with for much of the year.
• 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.
• The facility first was used by the United States Army Air Forces as Big Spring Army Air Field, opening on 28 April 1942 as part of the Central Flying Training Command.
• 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.

Facts about Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" (SKG):

• The airport of Thessaloniki is also the home ground of Aeolus Aviation Academy, which is a privately owned FTO and Thessaloniki Aeroclub, both offering pilot training.
• The furthest airport from Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" (SKG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,419 miles (18,377 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In 1950 the already existing runway got paved with asphalt at a length of 1,800m and in 1952 it was extended to 2,000m.
• In addition to being known as "Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia"", another name for SKG is "Διεθνής Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Θεσσαλονίκης "Μακεδονία"".
• Between 1994 and 2010, Thessaloniki International Airport saw a rise in passenger traffic equal to 76%, from 2.2 million in 1994 to 3.9 million in 2010.
• Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" (SKG) has 2 runways.
• Because of Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia"'s relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" 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 Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" (SKG) is Kozani National Airport (KZI), which is located 62 miles (99 kilometers) WSW of SKG.
• Thessaloniki International Airport "Makedonia" handled 4,085,032 passengers last year.