Nonstop flight route between Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shizuoka Airport (FSZ), Shizuoka, Honshu, Japan and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,043 miles (or 9,725 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 Shizuoka Airport and MoD St Athan, 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 Shizuoka Airport and MoD St Athan. 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 Shizuoka Airport (FSZ):

• In addition to being known as "Shizuoka Airport", other names for FSZ include "静岡空港" and "Shizuoka Kūkō".
• The closest railway station is Kanaya Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Ōigawa Main Line.
• While the Tokaido Shinkansen line travels directly underneath the airport, there is no train station nor have any plans been made to build one.
• The closest airport to Shizuoka Airport (FSZ) is Nagoya Airfield (NKM), which is located 78 miles (126 kilometers) WNW of FSZ.
• Shizuoka Airport (FSZ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Shizuoka Airport's relatively low elevation of 433 feet, planes can take off or land at Shizuoka 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.
• Free parking for 2,000 cars is available at the airport.
• The furthest airport from Shizuoka Airport (FSZ) is Diomício Freitas/Forquilhinha Airport (CCM), which is located 11,824 miles (19,029 kilometers) away in Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
• The airport was originally scheduled to open in March 2009, but was delayed by the shortening of the runway from 2,500 m to 2,200 m, by the use of a displaced threshold that cannot be used for takeoff or landing, due to environmental and noise concerns.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.
• Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died.
• St Athan also became the major RAF maintenance base for Vulcan, Victor, Buccaner, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and VC10 aircraft, originally under direct RAF control, but latterly under the auspices of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.
• The only squadrons to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis are the University of Wales Air Squadron, flying Grob Tutors and No 634 Volunteer Gliding Squadron using Vigilant T.1s.
• In 2009 building work was due to commence on a new defence training academy with its heart at St Athan.
• In 2006, the Special Forces Support Group was raised at St Athan and the Welsh Guards returned to London.
• The MOD continued to negotiate the project with the Metrix Consortium, but the price rose several times, reaching £14 billion in mid-2009.