Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and São Tomé International Airport (TMS), São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,575 miles (or 5,753 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 São Tomé 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 São Tomé 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):

• During the 1960s, a driving school was established.
• RAF St Athan has been used to house a number of army units throughout its life and, in 2003, the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards moved from Aldershot to St Athan - the first time they have been based in Wales since they were formed in 1915.
• 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 MOD continued to negotiate the project with the Metrix Consortium, but the price rose several times, reaching £14 billion in mid-2009.
• 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.
• 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.
• The MOD later decided that DARA's 'Fast Jets' and 'Engines' businesses would close by April 2007, although the 'Large Aircraft' business would continue and, on 14 April 2005, the Project Red Dragon super-hangar opened and DARA moved its VC10 operations from its existing 'Twin Peaks' hangar into the new facility.

Facts about São Tomé International Airport (TMS):

• In addition to being known as "São Tomé International Airport", another name for TMS is "Aeroporto Internacional de São Tomé".
• The closest airport to São Tomé International Airport (TMS) is Libreville Leon M'ba International Airport (LBV), which is located 187 miles (300 kilometers) E of TMS.
• The furthest airport from São Tomé International Airport (TMS) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to São Tomé International Airport (meaning São Tomé International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,239 miles (19,696 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• São Tomé International Airport (TMS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of São Tomé International Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at São Tomé International 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.