Nonstop flight route between Doha, Qatar and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hamad International Airport (DOH), Doha, Qatar and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,381 miles (or 5,442 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 Hamad International Airport and MoD St Athan, 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 Hamad International Airport and MoD St Athan. 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 Hamad International Airport (DOH):

• Planning took place in 2003 and construction began in 2005.
• Hamad International Airport welcomed its first flight, a Qatar Airways Airbus A320 carrying 130 high profile guests on board, at 11:30 AM Doha Time.
• Because of Hamad International Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at Hamad 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.
• In addition to being known as "Hamad International Airport", other names for DOH include "مطار حمد الدولي" and "OTHH[1]".
• Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, chairman of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority as well as a spokesperson from Qatar Airways, the operator of the airport and main customer, have indicated that the airport is named Hamad International Airport when it opens on April 30, 2014.
• Hamad International Airport (DOH) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Hamad International Airport (DOH) is Al-Udeid Air Base (IUD), which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) WSW of DOH.
• The furthest airport from Hamad International Airport (DOH) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is nearly antipodal to Hamad International Airport (meaning Hamad International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Totegegie Airport), and is located 12,001 miles (19,313 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• 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 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.
• In 2006, the Special Forces Support Group was raised at St Athan and the Welsh Guards returned to London.
• 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.
• 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.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.