Nonstop flight route between Nîmes-Arles-Camargue, France and Hambantota, Sri Lanka:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI), Nîmes-Arles-Camargue, France and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI), Hambantota, Sri Lanka would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,256 miles (or 8,458 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 Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa 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 Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport and Mattala Rajapaksa 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 Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI):

• Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport", another name for FNI is "Aéroport de Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes".
• In April 2012, the European Commission announced that it had launched an in-depth investigation into the financial arrangements that Nîmes Airport had with public authorities and Ryanair.
• Because of Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport's relatively low elevation of 309 feet, planes can take off or land at Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes 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.
• It currently has some commercial services, operated by Irish carrier Ryanair, however it also serves as a naval air base.
• In response to the announcement, Ryanair maintained that its 'arrangements with all EU airports comply with competition rules'.
• The closest airport to Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI) is Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) WSW of FNI.
• The furthest airport from Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (meaning Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,393 miles (19,945 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Facts about Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI):

• Because of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport's relatively low elevation of 157 feet, planes can take off or land at Mattala Rajapaksa 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.
• Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) currently has only 1 runway.
• It handled nearly 6000 passengers in the first two months after opening.
• On March 2013, it was reported that certifications of compliance and certification of aerodrome was awarded to the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.
• On 24 January 2013, Sri Lanka Minister of Civil Aviation Piyankara Jayaratne said in parliament that the airport would be declared open on 18 March 2013.
• On October 2012, the Super King 20 Test Aircraft, which belongs to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Department and features a dual engine, landed on the new runway to test the newly constructed runway and the instrumentation.
• The closest airport to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) is Weerawila Airport (WRZ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) ESE of HRI.
• In addition to being known as "Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport", another name for HRI is "මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළமத்தல ராஜபக்ஷ பன்னாட்டு விமான நிலையம்".
• The numbers given to the airport's sole runway is 05 and 23.
• The furthest airport from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI) is Seymour Airport (GPS), which is located 11,719 miles (18,860 kilometers) away in Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
• The second stage of the HIA project expansion works at the airport is to be completed by 2015.