Nonstop flight route between Saint Martin, Guadeloupe and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE), Saint Martin, Guadeloupe and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,271 miles (or 6,874 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 L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport and Istres-Le Tubé 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 L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport and Istres-Le Tubé 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 L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE):

• The furthest airport from L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE) is Karratha Airport (KTA), which is nearly antipodal to L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (meaning L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Karratha Airport), and is located 12,256 miles (19,724 kilometers) away in Karratha / Dampier, Western Australia, Australia.
• L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at L'Espérance Airport Grand Case 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 L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE) is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SW of CCE.
• L'Espérance Airport, also known as Grand Case Airport, is a public use airport located in Grand Case, on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
• In addition to being known as "L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport", other names for CCE include "Aérodrome de Grand-Case Espérance" and "SFG/CCE".
• Larger aircraft such as the ATR 72-500 powerback after lining up on the runway for departure, due to the short runway.

Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Sometime after World War II, until May 1958 Base Aérienne 125 was host to the Royal Air Force Liaison Party, that serviced transient British and Commonwealth military aircraft staging to and from the United Kingdom.
• In addition to being known as "Istres-Le Tubé Air Base", another name for QIE is "Base aérienne 125 Istres (BA 125)Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-17".
• Built prior to World War II, Istres Air Base was first used by the Armée de l'air during the early part of the war, and after the 1940 Battle of France and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is a large multi-role tasked French Air Force base located near Istres, northwest of Marseille, France.
• The furthest airport from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (meaning Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) ESE of QIE.
• The main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain transports from the airfield from September to November 1944.
• Because of Istres-Le Tubé Air Base's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Istres-Le Tubé 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.