Nonstop flight route between Bordeaux / Mérignac, France and Chicago / Waukegan, Illinois, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD), Bordeaux / Mérignac, France and Waukegan National Airport (UGN), Chicago / Waukegan, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,138 miles (or 6,660 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 Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport and Waukegan National 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 Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport and Waukegan National 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 Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD):

• The closest airport to Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD) is La Teste-de-Buch Airport (XAC), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) SW of BOD.
• Because of Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Bordeaux-Mérignac 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 furthest airport from Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (meaning Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,215 miles (19,658 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport", another name for BOD is "Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac".
• In 1957, C-119G transports from Évreux AB, France moved the USAFE Mobile Headquarters from Wiesbaden AB, Ger.
• After the war Air France resumed commercial operations out of Mérignac and the re-established French Air Force returned to use the facility.
• Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport handled 457,435 passengers last year.
• In 1951 Mérignac was turned over to NATO for use by the United States Air Force.
• As a consequence of the temporary closure of the Cazaux military base, the civil authorities have been forced to share the runway with the French Army since November 2005.
• General Charles de Gaulle took off from the airport to travel to London in 1940, and the following day he broadcast the Appeal of 18 June.

Facts about Waukegan National Airport (UGN):

• Waukegan National Airport (UGN) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Waukegan National Airport (UGN) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,064 miles (17,806 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Waukegan National Airport (UGN) is Kenosha Regional Airport (ENW), which is located only 12 miles (20 kilometers) NNW of UGN.
• According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009-2013, it is categorized as a reliever airport for the Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
• Because of Waukegan National Airport's relatively low elevation of 727 feet, planes can take off or land at Waukegan National 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.