Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Umberto Modiano Airport (BZC), Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,632 miles (or 9,064 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 Umberto Modiano 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 Umberto Modiano 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 last aircraft to be serviced at St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• 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.
• 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.
• RAF St Athan was also home for the Royal Air Force Administrative Apprentice Training School.
• In March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.

Facts about Umberto Modiano Airport (BZC):

• The airport was inaugurated in 2003 and it is presently dedicated to general aviation.
• The closest airport to Umberto Modiano Airport (BZC) is Cabo Frio International Airport (CFB), which is located only 13 miles (20 kilometers) SSW of BZC.
• Umberto Modiano Airport (BZC) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Umberto Modiano Airport", another name for BZC is "Aeroporto Umberto Modiano".
• The airport is located 11 km from downtown Búzios.
• The furthest airport from Umberto Modiano Airport (BZC) is Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2 (IWO), which is nearly antipodal to Umberto Modiano Airport (meaning Umberto Modiano Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2), and is located 12,186 miles (19,612 kilometers) away in Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, Japan.
• Because of Umberto Modiano Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Umberto Modiano 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.
• Umberto Modiano Airport is the airport serving Armação dos Búzios, Brazil.