Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Miami, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,359 miles (or 7,015 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 Miami 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 Miami 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):

• 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.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• 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 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.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of 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.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• 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.

Facts about Miami International Airport (MIA):

• In 2011 the airport ranked first in the United States by percentage of international flights and second by volume of international passengers, behind only New York–JFK.
• Miami International Airport handled 40,500,000 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Miami International Airport (MIA) is Miami Seaplane Base (MPB), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) E of MIA.
• Miami International Airport (MIA) has 4 runways.
• The North Terminal construction began in 1998 and was slated for completion in 2005, but was delayed several times due to cost overruns.
• Because of Miami International Airport's relatively low elevation of 8 feet, planes can take off or land at Miami 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 airport is a hub for American Airlines and American Eagle.
• The furthest airport from Miami International Airport (MIA) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,575 miles (18,628 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• The Central Terminal consists of three concourses, labeled E, F, and G, with a combined total of 52 gates.
• Nonstop flights to Chicago and New York/Newark started in 1946–47, but nonstops didn't reach west beyond St Louis and New Orleans until January 1962.
• Miami International Airport, also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area.
• The North Terminal construction merged the four piers into a single linear concourse designated Concourse D.