Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Banff, Alberta, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Banff Airport (YBA), Banff, Alberta, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 322 miles (or 518 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 Banff Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• Great Falls was reassigned to the Central Air Defense Force at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in 1953.
• 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 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.
• DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.
• Originally named Great Falls Army Air Base, later Great Falls Air Force Base, the facility was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base on 1 October 1955 in honor of Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom.
• The North American Aerospace Defense Command was created in 1957.
• Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union increased dramatically when the Soviet Union closed all land travel between the western occupation sectors of Germany and the American, French and British sectors of Berlin.
• Great Falls played a major aerial defense role in North American air defense mission.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".

Facts about Banff Airport (YBA):

• The closest airport to Banff Airport (YBA) is Fairmont Hot Springs Airport (YCZ), which is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) SSW of YBA.
• The furthest airport from Banff Airport (YBA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,405 miles (16,746 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Banff Airport (YBA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Banff Airport's high elevation of 4,583 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at YBA. Combined with a high temperature, this could make YBA a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.