Nonstop flight route between Covilhã, Portugal and Whangarei, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Covilhã Airport (COV), Covilhã, Portugal and Whangarei Airport (WRE), Whangarei, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 12,110 miles (or 19,490 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 Covilhã Airport and Whangarei 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 Covilhã Airport and Whangarei Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

The distance between COV and WRE makes them almost exactly antipodal (the exact opposite side of the world) to each other. Nonstop flights between Covilhã Airport and Whangarei Airport would be very impractical for the airlines, because only a lightly loaded Boeing 777-200LR would be able to make the trip. Since airlines need to be able to take as many people and cargo as possible in order to make a profit, the odds of ever seeing a nonstop flight between COV and WRE are slim to none. However, you'll still be able to get from Covilhã, Portugal and Whangarei, New Zealand by taking some connecting flights!

Did you know that one full circling of the Earth (measuring from the equator) is about 24,901.5 miles (or 40,075 kilometers), which means if you were 12,450 miles from any given point on the planet, the distance back to your starting point would be about the same -- in any direction! The same can be said for a nonstop flight between COV and WRE!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Covilhã Airport (COV):

• The furthest airport from Covilhã Airport (COV) is Takaka Aerodrome (KTF), which is nearly antipodal to Covilhã Airport (meaning Covilhã Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Takaka Aerodrome), and is located 12,390 miles (19,940 kilometers) away in Takaka, New Zealand.
• Covilhã Airport (COV) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Covilhã Airport (COV) is Coimbra Airport (CBP), which is located 53 miles (85 kilometers) W of COV.

Facts about Whangarei Airport (WRE):

• In 2008, Salt Air begun an "xpress" service between Kerikeri, Whangarei and Auckland.
• Whangarei Airport (WRE) has 2 runways.
• The runway is lit by pilot activation of the lights, and Av-Gas and Jet A1 are available by fuel card payment.
• This upgrade allowed Air New Zealand, through its subsidary airline Air Nelson, start trialing flights with their new Bombardier Q300 aircraft.
• Whangarei District Airport no longer has an Aero Club due to a drop in membership and private flying.
• The furthest airport from Whangarei Airport (WRE) is Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG), which is nearly antipodal to Whangarei Airport (meaning Whangarei Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport), and is located 12,421 miles (19,989 kilometers) away in Tangier, Morocco.
• The closest airport to Whangarei Airport (WRE) is Dargaville Aerodrome (DGR), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) WSW of WRE.
• The control tower was closed down in 1988 as the airport was too small to warrant the service.
• The Whangarei District Council approved an upgrade of the main runway and this was completed in April 2009.
• Because of Whangarei Airport's relatively low elevation of 133 feet, planes can take off or land at Whangarei 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.