Nonstop flight route between Charlotte, North Carolina, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, North Carolina, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,924 miles (or 6,314 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 Charlotte Douglas International Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Charlotte Douglas International Airport and RAF Fairford. 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 Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT):

• Eastern Air Lines began scheduled jet flights with the Boeing 720 in early 1962.
• The August 1, 2013 court date yielded a verdict that the transfer, should it occur, would need prior approval from the FAA, a division of the US Department of Transportation, currently headed by former Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who has officially recused himself from the matter.
• Because of Charlotte Douglas International Airport's relatively low elevation of 748 feet, planes can take off or land at Charlotte Douglas 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.
• The closest airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is Wilgrove Air Park (QWG), which is located only 15 miles (25 kilometers) W of CLT.
• The city received a $200,000 grant from the Works Progress Administration in 1930 to establish Charlotte's first municipal airport.
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport handled 41,228,372 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,521 miles (18,541 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition, construction of a new International Terminal will begin in 2012, and Concourse E is planned to be disconnected to the main terminal, and would then be accessible by underground walkway.
• In 1990, a new 80,000-square-foot international and commuter concourse opened, and in 1991 further expansion of the central terminal building continued, reflective of USAir's dominating presence at the airport.
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has 4 runways.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.
• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.
• In the early years of the Cold War the British and American governments reached an agreement under which elements of the USAF Strategic Air Command would be based in the UK.