Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Kish Island, Iran:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Kish International Airport (KIH), Kish Island, Iran would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,352 miles (or 5,394 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 Kish 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 Kish 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):

• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• Due to the deteriorating airfield facilities and its unique NATO heavy bomber mission, RAF Fairford underwent a $100 million upgrade of its runway and fuel systems in the largest NATO funded airfield construction project within a NATO country since the end of the Cold War.
• 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.
• On 12 May 2005, USAFE activated the 501st Combat Support Wing, with headquarters at RAF Alconbury, to provide support to its GSUs in the United Kingdom.
• RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.
• 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.

Facts about Kish International Airport (KIH):

• Kish International Airport (KIH) has 2 runways.
• It serves as the entry point for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to Kish Island to enjoy the beaches and warm weather.
• The furthest airport from Kish International Airport (KIH) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,832 miles (19,042 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Kish International Airport's relatively low elevation of 101 feet, planes can take off or land at Kish 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.
• The closest airport to Kish International Airport (KIH) is Lavan Airport (LVP), which is located 43 miles (70 kilometers) WNW of KIH.
• Prior to Iranian Revolution, Iran had an outstanding order for two Concorde aircraft.