Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,264 miles (or 5,253 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 Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier 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 Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier 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 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• 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.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW):

• Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) has 3 runways.
• At the turn of the millennium, the Ottawa Airport Authority announced plans to build a second, adjacent terminal to meet the demands of increased traffic.
• The closest airport to Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport (YRO), which is located only 10 miles (15 kilometers) N of YOW.
• In February 2010, Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport was recognized by customers for its excellent customer service in the results of Airports Council International's Airport Service Quality program.
• On June 13, 1997, a North American Airlines Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner struck the runway with gear retracted during a botched approach, resulting in propellor strikes and a fire in one engine when it came to rest on runway 25.
• The furthest airport from Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,465 miles (18,451 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• In 2003, the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport Authority unveiled its new passenger terminal building.
• The airport's board of directors approved a further expansion of the airport's passenger terminal on April 4, 2006.
• Macdonald–Cartier Airport is part of Canada's busiest air corridor between Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, which is commonly referred to as the Eastern Triangle.
• Because of Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport's relatively low elevation of 374 feet, planes can take off or land at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier 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 south field consists of the two longer runways, 07/25 and 14/32, designed for jet airliners.