Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Kowanyama, Queensland, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from FFD to KWM:
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- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- KWM Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about KWM
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to KWM
- List of Nearest Airports to KWM
- Map of Furthest Airports from KWM
- List of Furthest Airports from KWM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Kowanyama Airport (KWM), Kowanyama, Queensland, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,233 miles (or 14,859 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 Kowanyama 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 Kowanyama Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFD / EGVA |
Airport Name: | RAF Fairford |
Location: | Fairford, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from FFD |
More Information: | FFD Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KWM / YKOW |
Airport Name: | Kowanyama Airport |
Location: | Kowanyama, Queensland, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 15°29'8"S by 141°45'5"E |
Operator/Owner: | Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 35 feet (11 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KWM |
More Information: | KWM Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- 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.
- Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation.
- 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.
- The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- RAF Fairford was constructed in 1944 to serve as an airfield for British and American troop carriers and gliders for the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II.
- 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.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
Facts about Kowanyama Airport (KWM):
- The closest airport to Kowanyama Airport (KWM) is Edward River Airport (EDR), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) NNW of KWM.
- Kowanyama Airport (KWM) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Kowanyama Airport (KWM) is Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE), which is located 11,557 miles (18,598 kilometers) away in São Vicente, Cape Verde.
- Because of Kowanyama Airport's relatively low elevation of 35 feet, planes can take off or land at Kowanyama 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.