Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ), Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,188 miles (or 5,131 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 MoD St Athan and Félix Houphouët-Boigny International 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 MoD St Athan and Félix Houphouët-Boigny International 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 MoD St Athan (DGX):

• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.
• The last aircraft to be serviced at St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012.
• On 26 August 1993 an ATC civilian instructor was seriously injured and the RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot, Group Captain Roger Sweatman, was killed when their Chipmunk trainer, on an air experience flight, crashed after encountering difficulties during a simulated emergency low-height manoeuvre on take-off.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• During the 1960s, a driving school was established.
• In 2006, the Special Forces Support Group was raised at St Athan and the Welsh Guards returned to London.
• Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.

Facts about Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ):

• Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport handled 959,960 passengers last year.
• On the night of 2 to 3 April 2011, the airport was again taken by the French troops in order to evacuate French nationals and foreigners, as the final assault against the presidential palace was announced, during the battle for Abidjan.
• The closest airport to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) is Aboisso Airport (ABO), which is located 47 miles (75 kilometers) ENE of ABJ.
• On 4 May 2012, PROPARCO loans 10 billion CFA francs to Aeria to fund a major expansion and modernization program for the airport.
• The furthest airport from Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) is Arorae Island Airport (AIS), which is nearly antipodal to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (meaning Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Arorae Island Airport), and is located 12,247 miles (19,710 kilometers) away in Arorae Island, Kiribati.