Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Manzini, Swaziland:
Departure Airport:
(51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W)
Arrival Airport:
(26°31'44"S by 31°18'27"E)
Distance from FFD to MTS:
5,764.94 miles (9,277.75 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- MTS Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about MTS
- 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 MTS
- List of Nearest Airports to MTS
- Map of Furthest Airports from MTS
- List of Furthest Airports from MTS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Matsapha Airport (MTS), Manzini, Swaziland would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,765 miles (or 9,278 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 Matsapha 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 Matsapha 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: | MTS / FDMS |
| Airport Name: | Matsapha Airport |
| Location: | Manzini, Swaziland |
| GPS Coordinates: | 26°31'44"S by 31°18'27"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Government |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 2075 feet (632 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MTS |
| More Information: | MTS Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
- On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.
Facts about Matsapha Airport (MTS):
- Matsapha Airport (MTS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Matsapha Airport (MTS) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,827 miles (19,034 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
- The closest airport to Matsapha Airport (MTS) is Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP), which is located 80 miles (129 kilometers) N of MTS.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10.00 miles (16.09 km) ENE | RAF Brize Norton (BZZ) | Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom |     |
| 2 | 15.02 miles (24.17 km) SW | RAF Lyneham (LYE) | Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 3 | 22.77 miles (36.64 km) ENE | Oxford Airport (OXF) | Oxford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 4 | 30.10 miles (48.45 km) E | RAF Benson (BEX) | Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 5 | 36.28 miles (58.38 km) WSW | Bristol Filton Airport (FZO) | Filton, Bristol, United Kingdom | |
| 6 | 42.33 miles (68.12 km) E | RAF High Wycombe (HYC) | High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 7 | 44.98 miles (72.38 km) WSW | Bristol Airport (BRS) | Bristol, England, United Kingdom | |
| 8 | 47.23 miles (76.02 km) SE | Lasham Airfield (QLA) | Lasham, England, United Kingdom | |
| 9 | 47.50 miles (76.44 km) ESE | Blackbushe Airport (BBS) | Yateley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 10 | 47.84 miles (76.99 km) SE | RAF Odiham (ODH) | Odiham, United Kingdom | |
| 11 | 49.48 miles (79.64 km) NNE | Coventry Airport (CVT) | Coventry, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom | |
| 12 | 50.42 miles (81.15 km) ENE | Milton Keynes Airport (KYN) | Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom | |
| 13 | 51.85 miles (83.45 km) ESE | Farnborough Airport (FAB) | Farnborough, United Kingdom | |
| 14 | 53.35 miles (85.85 km) N | Birmingham Airport (BHX) | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | |
| 15 | 53.92 miles (86.78 km) SSE | Southampton Airport (SOU) | Eastleigh (near Southampton), England, United Kingdom | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,897.99 miles (19,147.91 km) SE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,874.86 miles (19,110.69 km) ESE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,869.65 miles (19,102.31 km) SE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,860.18 miles (19,087.07 km) SE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,839.51 miles (19,053.79 km) SSW | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,834.41 miles (19,045.60 km) SE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,833.87 miles (19,044.72 km) SE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,822.95 miles (19,027.15 km) SSE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,812.41 miles (19,010.18 km) SSE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,804.61 miles (18,997.63 km) SE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,803.98 miles (18,996.62 km) SE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,782.42 miles (18,961.92 km) SE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,774.40 miles (18,949.02 km) SE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,761.76 miles (18,928.67 km) SSE | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,760.44 miles (18,926.54 km) SE | Milford Sound Airport (MFN) | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 80.14 miles (128.97 km) N | Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) | Nelspruit, South Africa | |
| 2 | 88.95 miles (143.15 km) ENE | Maputo International Airport (MPM) | Maputo, Mozambique | |
| 3 | 118.23 miles (190.27 km) SSE | Hluhluwe Airport (HLW) | Hluhluwe, South Africa | |
| 4 | 119.13 miles (191.71 km) N | Mala Mala Airport (AAM) | Mala Mala, South Africa | |
| 5 | 151.08 miles (243.13 km) N | Air Force Base Hoedspruit (HDS) | Hoedspruit, South Africa | |
| 6 | 160.19 miles (257.81 km) SSE | Richards Bay Airport (RCB) | Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 7 | 170.72 miles (274.75 km) SSW | Ladysmith Airport (LAY) | Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 8 | 179.36 miles (288.65 km) N | Hendrik Van Eck Airport (PHW) | Phalaborwa, South Africa | |
| 9 | 180.27 miles (290.12 km) W | Heidelberg Airport (HDB) | Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany | |
| 10 | 191.47 miles (308.14 km) W | O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | |
| 11 | 196.36 miles (316.01 km) W | Rand Airport (QRA) | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 12 | 199.81 miles (321.56 km) W | Grand Central Airport (GCJ) | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 13 | 200.65 miles (322.92 km) WNW | Wonderboom Airport (PRY) | Pretoria, South Africa | |
| 14 | 213.49 miles (343.58 km) W | Lanseria International Airport (HLA) | Lanseria, South Africa | |
| 15 | 213.69 miles (343.90 km) S | King Shaka International (DUR) | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,827.45 miles (19,034.40 km) NE | Hana Airport (HNM) | Hana, Hawaii, United States | |
| 2 | 11,817.05 miles (19,017.66 km) NE | Hilo International Airport (ITO) | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | |
| 3 | 11,811.83 miles (19,009.25 km) NE | Kahului Airport (OGG) | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | |
| 4 | 11,809.50 miles (19,005.50 km) NE | Upolu Airport (UPP) | Hawi, Hawaii, United States | |
| 5 | 11,805.06 miles (18,998.36 km) NE | Waimea-Kohala Airport (MUE) | Kamuela, Hawaii, United States | |
| 6 | 11,802.57 miles (18,994.35 km) NE | Kapalua Airport (JHM) | Lahaina, Hawaii, United States | |
| 7 | 11,797.75 miles (18,986.60 km) ENE | Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) | Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 8 | 11,794.73 miles (18,981.74 km) NE | Pōhakuloa Training Area (BSF) | Camp Pohakuloa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 9 | 11,789.00 miles (18,972.51 km) ENE | Molokai Airport (MKK) | Kaunakakai, Hawaii, United States | |
| 10 | 11,780.88 miles (18,959.44 km) NE | Lanai Airport (LNY) | Lanai City, Hawaii, United States | |
| 11 | 11,775.04 miles (18,950.04 km) NE | Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA) | Kailua / Kona, Hawaii, United States | |
| 12 | 11,752.02 miles (18,912.99 km) ENE | Honolulu International Airport (HNL) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 13 | 11,752.02 miles (18,912.99 km) ENE | Hickam Field (HIK) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 14 | 11,751.94 miles (18,912.86 km) ENE | Wheeler AAF (HHI) | Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 15 | 11,746.82 miles (18,904.62 km) ENE | Dillingham Airfield (HDH) | Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States | |