Nonstop flight route between Araxos / Patras, Greece and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Araxos Airport (GPA), Araxos / Patras, Greece and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,594 miles (or 4,174 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 Araxos Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Araxos Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Araxos Airport (GPA):

• Araxos Airport (GPA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Araxos Airport", another name for GPA is "Αεροδρόμιο Αράξου".
• The furthest airport from Araxos Airport (GPA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,428 miles (18,392 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Araxos was established as a military airport in 1936, but was construction of the runway not completed until 1941, when it also became the site of the first radar installation in Greece.
• It is also known as Araxos National Airport.
• Because of Araxos Airport's relatively low elevation of 46 feet, planes can take off or land at Araxos 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 closest airport to Araxos Airport (GPA) is Agrinio Airport (AGQ), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) N of GPA.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• In 1980, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Terceira Island.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• Recently, in August 2010, Portuguese news agencies advised for the termination of the F-22 Raptor plan to use Lajes as a platform for DACT training over the Atlantic Ocean.
• The origin of the Lajes Field dates back to 1928, when Portuguese Army Lieutenant colonel Eduardo Gomes da Silva wrote a report on the possible construction of an airfield in the plainland of Lajes, for that branch's aviation service.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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 furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• In 2009 Lajes provided rescue support of shipping lanes across the Atlantic, a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations in aircraft crossing the Atlantic, and support for the USAF's continuing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.