Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Dum Dum (near Kolkata), India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU), Dum Dum (near Kolkata), India would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,013 miles (or 8,067 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 RAF Fairford and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 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 RAF Fairford and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 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 RAF Fairford (FFD):

• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
• In the early years of the Cold War the British and American governments reached an agreement under which elements of the USAF Strategic Air Command would be based in the UK.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.

Facts about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU):

• 2005 saw the growth of Low Cost Carriers in the Indian aviation sector, with new airlines including Spice Jet, IndiGo and Kingfisher Airlines.
• The furthest airport from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,276 miles (18,147 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• In September 2012, the Airports Authority of India upgraded the airport's cargo-handling capacity, enabling it to cater for the demand until 2015–16.
• The 1990s saw new growth for Calcutta airport, as the Indian aviation industry saw the arrival of new airlines such as Jet Airways and Air Sahara.
• Because of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 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.
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) has 2 runways.
• The airport has a facility of prepaid taxis and air-conditioned buses that connect it to the city.
• The closest airport to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) is Jessore Airport (JSR), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NE of CCU.
• Calcutta played an important role in the Second World War.
• In addition to being known as "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport", another name for CCU is "নেতাজি সুভাষচন্দ্র বসু আন্তর্জাতিক বিমানবন্দর".