Nonstop flight route between Chongqing, China and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG), Chongqing, China and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,366 miles (or 8,635 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 Chongqing Jiangbei International 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 Chongqing Jiangbei International 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 Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG):

• The next phase expansion includes the addition of the third runway and a new terminal, Terminal 3A, which is going to be 480,000 square meters, twice the size of the existing terminals combined, costing CNY26.0 billion.
• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport handled 25,272,039 passengers last year.
• The civil aviation of Chongqing dates back to the 1920s, and boasts a history of more than 90 years.
• The phase three construction, which included a second runway and another expansion of Terminal 2, started in 2007.
• The fares range from CNY40 to CNY100 yuan.
• In addition to being known as "Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport", other names for CKG include "重庆江北国际机场" and "Chóngqìng Jiāngběi Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) is Nanchong Gaoping Airport (NAO), which is located 80 miles (128 kilometers) NNW of CKG.
• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) has 4 runways.
• Cargo traffic increased at an average rate of 14% in the first six months of 2011, driven by exponential growth in international cargo.
• The furthest airport from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is nearly antipodal to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (meaning Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from La Florida Airport), and is located 12,307 miles (19,806 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.

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

• 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.
• 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".
• With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco for air transport of personnel back to the United States.
• 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 (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
• 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.