Nonstop flight route between Guápiles, Costa Rica and Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
(10°13'1"N by 83°47'59"W)
Arrival Airport:
(52°24'29"N by 0°33'24"E)
Distance from GPL to LKZ:
5,422.95 miles (8,727.36 km)
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- About this route
- GPL Airport Information
- LKZ Airport Information
- Facts about GPL
- Facts about LKZ
- Map of Nearest Airports to GPL
- List of Nearest Airports to GPL
- Map of Furthest Airports from GPL
- List of Furthest Airports from GPL
- Map of Nearest Airports to LKZ
- List of Nearest Airports to LKZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from LKZ
- List of Furthest Airports from LKZ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Guápiles Airport (GPL), Guápiles, Costa Rica and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,423 miles (or 8,727 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 Guápiles Airport and RAF Lakenheath, 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 Guápiles Airport and RAF Lakenheath. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GPL / MRGP |
| Airport Name: | Guápiles Airport |
| Location: | Guápiles, Costa Rica |
| GPS Coordinates: | 10°13'1"N by 83°47'59"W |
| Area Served: | Guápiles, Costa Rica |
| Operator/Owner: | Dirección General de Aviación Civil (DGAC) |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 883 feet (269 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GPL |
| More Information: | GPL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LKZ / EGUL |
| Airport Name: | RAF Lakenheath |
| Location: | Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°24'29"N by 0°33'24"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from LKZ |
| More Information: | LKZ Maps & Info |
Facts about Guápiles Airport (GPL):
- Guápiles Airport (GPL) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Guápiles Airport's relatively low elevation of 883 feet, planes can take off or land at Guápiles 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 furthest airport from Guápiles Airport (GPL) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Guápiles Airport (meaning Guápiles Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,294 miles (19,785 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- The closest airport to Guápiles Airport (GPL) is Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) SW of GPL.
Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):
- The furthest airport from RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,827 miles (19,034 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
- In 1940, the Air Ministry selected Lakenheath as an alternative for RAF Mildenhall and used it as a decoy airfield.
- On 1 May 1951, Lakenheath was transferred from USAFE to SAC, and placed under the 3909th Air Base Group.
- A near nuclear accident occurred on 27 July 1956 – when a B-47 bomber crashed into a storage igloo at Lakenheath containing three MK-6 nuclear weapons while on a routine training mission.
- Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union in Europe began as early as 1946.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 29.25 miles (47.07 km) SW | Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) | San José, Costa Rica |     |
| 2 | 31.10 miles (50.05 km) NE | Tortuguero Airport (TTQ) | Tortuguero, Costa Rica | |
| 3 | 31.80 miles (51.18 km) WSW | Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (SJO) | San José, Costa Rica | |
| 4 | 40.76 miles (65.60 km) NNE | Barra del Colorado Airport (BCL) | Barra del Colorado, Costa Rica | |
| 5 | 55.88 miles (89.92 km) ESE | Limón International Airport (LIO) | Puerto Limón, Costa Rica | |
| 6 | 57.99 miles (93.33 km) SSW | Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP) | Quepos, Costa Rica | |
| 7 | 79.51 miles (127.96 km) SSE | Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) | Buenos Aires, Costa Rica | |
| 8 | 89.31 miles (143.73 km) WSW | Tambor Airport (TMU) | Tambor, Costa Rica | |
| 9 | 90.33 miles (145.37 km) SSE | Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ) | Palmar Sur, Costa Rica | |
| 10 | 100.01 miles (160.94 km) ESE | Changuinola "Capitan Manuel Niño" International Airport (CHX) | Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panama | |
| 11 | 103.04 miles (165.83 km) S | Drake Bay Airport (DRK) | Drake Bay, Costa Rica | |
| 12 | 109.59 miles (176.36 km) WSW | Punta Islita Airport (PBP) | Punta Islita, Costa Rica | |
| 13 | 116.15 miles (186.92 km) SSE | Golfito Airport (GLF) | Golfito, Costa Rica | |
| 14 | 117.03 miles (188.34 km) WSW | Playa Sámara/Carrillo Airport (RIK) | Carrillo, Costa Rica | |
| 15 | 121.24 miles (195.12 km) SSE | Puerto Jiménez Airport (PJM) | Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,294.03 miles (19,785.27 km) SSW | Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK) | Cocos Islands, Australia | |
| 2 | 11,828.78 miles (19,036.53 km) SW | Fatmawati Soekarno Airport (BKS) | Bengkulu, Indonesia | |
| 3 | 11,826.57 miles (19,032.98 km) SSW | Rokot Airport (RKI) | Sipura, Indonesia | |
| 4 | 11,791.54 miles (18,976.60 km) W | Christmas Island Airport (XCH) | Christmas Island, Australia | |
| 5 | 11,769.19 miles (18,940.64 km) SSW | Depati Parbo Airport (KRC) | Kerinci, Indonesia | |
| 6 | 11,732.68 miles (18,881.88 km) WSW | Radin Inten II Airport (RIA II) (TKG) | Bandar Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia | |
| 7 | 11,727.49 miles (18,873.51 km) SSW | Minangkabau International Airport (MIA) (PDG) | Ketaping, West Sumatra, Indonesia | |
| 8 | 11,707.10 miles (18,840.71 km) WSW | Gunung Batin Airport (AKQ) | Astraksetra, Indonesia | |
| 9 | 11,668.02 miles (18,777.82 km) WSW | Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK) | Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 10 | 11,665.12 miles (18,773.14 km) SW | Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport (SMB II) (PLM) | Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia | |
| 11 | 11,656.61 miles (18,759.45 km) WSW | Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (HLP) | Jakarta, Indonesia | |
| 12 | 11,654.12 miles (18,755.44 km) SW | Sultan Thaha Airport (DJB) | Jambi, Indonesia | |
| 13 | 11,643.53 miles (18,738.39 km) S | Binaka Airport (GNS) | Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Indonesia | |
| 14 | 11,626.59 miles (18,711.13 km) WSW | Husein Sastranegara International Airport (HSA) (BDO) | Bandung, Indonesia | |
| 15 | 11,615.66 miles (18,693.55 km) SSW | Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU) | Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 4.38 miles (7.05 km) SW | RAF Mildenhall (MHZ) | Mildenhall, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom | |
| 2 | 10.20 miles (16.41 km) ESE | RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 (BEQ) | Bury St. Edmunds, England, United Kingdom | |
| 3 | 16.58 miles (26.69 km) N | RAF Marham (KNF) | Marham, Norfolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom | |
| 4 | 21.39 miles (34.42 km) SW | Cambridge International Airport (CBG) | Cambridge, England, United Kingdom | |
| 5 | 28.36 miles (45.63 km) SW | Duxford Aerodrome (QFO) | Duxford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 6 | 30.09 miles (48.43 km) S | MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF) | Braintree, England, United Kingdom | |
| 7 | 33.02 miles (53.13 km) W | RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) | Alconbury, England, United Kingdom | |
| 8 | 35.67 miles (57.41 km) ENE | Norwich International Airport (NWI) | Norwich, England, United Kingdom | |
| 9 | 37.55 miles (60.42 km) SE | Ipswich Airport (IPW) | Ipswich, England | |
| 10 | 38.65 miles (62.19 km) SSW | London Stansted Airport (STN) | Essex (near London), England, United Kingdom | |
| 11 | 40.39 miles (65.01 km) ENE | Coltishall (IATA off-point) (CLF) | Coltishall, United Kingdom | |
| 12 | 53.83 miles (86.63 km) SW | London Luton Airport (LTN) | Luton (near London), England, United Kingdom | |
| 13 | 55.37 miles (89.11 km) WNW | RAF Cottesmore (OKH) | Oakham, England, United Kingdom | |
| 14 | 56.09 miles (90.27 km) SW | Hatfield Aerodrome (HTF) | Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 15 | 56.14 miles (90.35 km) NNW | RAF Coningsby (QCY) | Coningsby, England, United Kingdom | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,827.09 miles (19,033.81 km) SSW | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,790.32 miles (18,974.63 km) SE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,766.44 miles (18,936.20 km) SE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,763.52 miles (18,931.50 km) ESE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,749.39 miles (18,908.77 km) ESE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,732.88 miles (18,882.19 km) SE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,726.83 miles (18,872.46 km) SE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,724.93 miles (18,869.40 km) SE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,718.31 miles (18,858.75 km) SE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,697.18 miles (18,824.74 km) SE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,696.39 miles (18,823.46 km) SE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,679.36 miles (18,796.06 km) SE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,675.07 miles (18,789.16 km) SSE | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,671.69 miles (18,783.72 km) SE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,651.69 miles (18,751.53 km) SE | Milford Sound Airport (MFN) | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |