Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GFA to LRU:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- LRU Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about LRU
- Map of Nearest Airports to GFA
- List of Nearest Airports to GFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from GFA
- List of Furthest Airports from GFA
- Map of Nearest Airports to LRU
- List of Nearest Airports to LRU
- Map of Furthest Airports from LRU
- List of Furthest Airports from LRU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,075 miles (or 1,730 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 relatively short distance between Malmstrom Air Force Base and Las Cruces International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GFA / KGFA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Great Falls, Montana, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°30'16"N by 111°11'13"W |
View all routes: | Routes from GFA |
More Information: | GFA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | LRU / KLRU |
Airport Name: | Las Cruces International Airport |
Location: | Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°17'21"N by 106°55'18"W |
Area Served: | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
Operator/Owner: | City of Las Cruces |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 4457 feet (1,358 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from LRU |
More Information: | LRU Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- The closest airport to Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA) is Great Falls International Airport (GTF), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) W of GFA.
- The base's runway was closed on 31 December 1996 for aircraft operations.
- In 1957, under the control of the 801st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, the Malmstrom AFB radar station became operational with AN/FPS-20 search and AN/FPS-6 height-finder radars.
- The furthest airport from Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,495 miles (16,891 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- MATS reopened the C-54 Flight Training School as the 1272 Medium Transition Training Unit in May 1950, one month before the Korean War began.
- On 1 July 1968, the F-101B equipped 29th FIS was inactivated and replaced by the F-106 Delta Dart equipped 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was reassigned from Richards Gebaur AFB when its ADC mission was eliminated.
- By 1954, several aircraft control and warning squadrons had been formed at the base.
- Following World War II, Great Falls Army Air Base played an important role in US defense during the Cold War era.
Facts about Las Cruces International Airport (LRU):
- The closest airport to Las Cruces International Airport (LRU) is Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) SE of LRU.
- The airport is used by general aviation, the United States government, New Mexico State University, private charters and the local CAP squadron.
- Las Cruces International Airport (LRU) has 3 runways.
- The furthest airport from Las Cruces International Airport (LRU) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,383 miles (18,319 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Because of Las Cruces International Airport's high elevation of 4,457 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LRU. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LRU a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.