Nonstop flight route between Bergamo (near Milan), Italy and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Il Caravaggio International Airport (BGY), Bergamo (near Milan), Italy and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,617 miles (or 7,430 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 Il Caravaggio International Airport and Grand Forks Air Force 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 Il Caravaggio International Airport and Grand Forks Air Force 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 Il Caravaggio International Airport (BGY):

• Because of Il Caravaggio International Airport's relatively low elevation of 782 feet, planes can take off or land at Il Caravaggio 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.
• Il Caravaggio International Airport handled 8,890,720 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Il Caravaggio International Airport (BGY) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Il Caravaggio International Airport (meaning Il Caravaggio International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,109 miles (19,487 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Il Caravaggio International Airport (BGY) is Milan Linate Airport (LIN), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) SW of BGY.
• Ground handling services are provided by the SACBO and Airport Global Services.
• Il Caravaggio International Airport (BGY) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Il Caravaggio International Airport", another name for BGY is "Aeroporto di Bergamo-Orio al Serio".

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• Due to the continuance of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, GFAFB was originally an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor air base.
• The closest airport to Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of RDR.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• On 1 September 1958, the Strategic Air Command established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
• The furthest airport from Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,504 miles (16,904 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• During the Cold War, GFAFB was a major installation of the Strategic Air Command, with B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• On 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile site.
• Following the departure of the last B-1B aircraft in 1994, the base transferred to the new Air Mobility Command and the 319th Bomb Wing was redesignated as the 319th Air Refueling Wing.
• On 3 September 1974, the SAFSCOM Site Activation Team was relieved by the U.S.