Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT), Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,857 miles (or 15,863 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 Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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 Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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):

• 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.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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 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 March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.
• After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton.
• In 2009 building work was due to commence on a new defence training academy with its heart at St Athan.
• The last aircraft to be serviced at St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012.

Facts about Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT):

• The furthest airport from Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) is Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM), which is nearly antipodal to Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (meaning Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Diori Hamani International Airport), and is located 12,377 miles (19,919 kilometers) away in Niamey, Niger.
• Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) is Wallis Island (WLS), which is located 145 miles (233 kilometers) ENE of FUT.
• Because of Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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.