Nonstop flight route between Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ), Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,569 miles (or 8,963 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj and Lajes Air 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj and Lajes Air 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ):

• Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• It is situated at an altitude of 257 feet and occupies a total area of 832 acres.
• The closest airport to Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Kandla Airport (IXY), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) ESE of BHJ.
• The airport was previously made up of two bunkers/buildings near the Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base, with which it shares the runway.
• The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320, while the apron can accommodate two Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the same time.
• In 2004 the government installed a 22 acres "hill garden" between the city and the airport to promote tourism.
• Because of Civil Enclave Bhuj's relatively low elevation of 257 feet, planes can take off or land at Civil Enclave Bhuj 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.
• In addition to being known as "Civil Enclave Bhuj", other names for BHJ include "Bhuj Rudra Mata Airport", "Bhuj Airport" and "Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base".
• The furthest airport from Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Civil Enclave Bhuj (meaning Civil Enclave Bhuj is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,163 miles (19,574 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The airstrip was destroyed in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, in air strikes in which Pakistani bombers dropped napalm bombs.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• In 1947, the Portuguese Esquadra 41 started to operate from Lajes, equipped with Boeing SB-17, Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Douglas C-54 Skymaster and, later Sikorsky H-19.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• The civilian terminal also plays an important role in support of passenger and cargo airliners, executive, corporate and private jets flying to the island or beyond as the central location in the Azores group of islands makes it an ideal spot for refuelling or stopover.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S.
• In the late 1950s, USAF air refueling/tanker aircraft were stationed at Lajes to provide inflight refueling for U.S.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• Recently, in August 2010, Portuguese news agencies advised for the termination of the F-22 Raptor plan to use Lajes as a platform for DACT training over the Atlantic Ocean.