Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Kano, Nigeria:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN), Kano, Nigeria would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,801 miles (or 4,508 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 Mallam Aminu Kano 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 Mallam Aminu Kano 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 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.
• 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.
• 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 training to be carried out at St Athan was to be specialist phase 2 and phase 3 engineering courses of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.
• The only squadrons to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis are the University of Wales Air Squadron, flying Grob Tutors and No 634 Volunteer Gliding Squadron using Vigilant T.1s.
• 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.
• During the war a dummy airfield was built using wood and cardboard a few miles west of the original airfield and successful efforts were made to hide the proper field.

Facts about Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN):

• Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport handled 341,367 passengers last year.
• Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) is Fagali'i Airport (FGI), which is nearly antipodal to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (meaning Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fagali'i Airport), and is located 12,311 miles (19,813 kilometers) away in Apia, Samoa.
• The airport serves civilian and military flights.
• The closest airport to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) is Zaria Airport (ZAR), which is located 85 miles (137 kilometers) SW of KAN.
• On the south side of the airport, along runway 06/24, is the domestic terminal currently serving operations of IRS Airlines.
• Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is the oldest in Nigeria, with operations starting in 1936.