Nonstop flight route between Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq and Wallops Island, Virginia, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Erbil International Airport (EBL), Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq and Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,017 miles (or 9,683 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 Erbil International Airport and Wallops Flight Facility 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 Erbil International Airport and Wallops Flight Facility 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 Erbil International Airport (EBL):

• Erbil International Airport (EBL) has 2 runways.
• At a cost of $US550 million, constructed by a Turkish company, the new airport and terminal building opened on 3 March 2010.
• Erbil International Airport, is the main airport of Erbil city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
• The furthest airport from Erbil International Airport (EBL) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,525 miles (18,548 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• Erbil International Airport offers the least expensive aviation fuel in Iraq.
• In addition to being known as "Erbil International Airport", other names for EBL include "Firokaxaney Nêwdewletî Hewlêr" and "فڕۆکه‌خانه‌ی نێوده‌وڵه‌تی هه‌ولێر".
• The closest airport to Erbil International Airport (EBL) is Sulaimaniyah International Airport (ISU), which is located 89 miles (143 kilometers) ESE of EBL.

Facts about Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL):

• Because of Wallops Flight Facility Airport's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Wallops Flight Facility 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.
• The furthest airport from Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,785 miles (18,965 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• The WFF Main Base is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula about 5 miles west of Chincoteague, Virginia.
• The closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• There have been over 16,000 launches from the rocket testing range at Wallops since its founding in 1945 in the quest for information on the flight characteristics of airplanes, launch vehicles, and spacecraft, and to increase the knowledge of the Earth's upper atmosphere and the environment of outer space.
• Weather measurements and predictions are critical to all Research Airport operations, rocket and balloon launches, and in safely conducting hazardous operations on the ground.
• In 1959, NASA acquired the former Naval Air Station Chincoteague, and engineering and administrative activities were moved to this location.