Nonstop flight route between Berlin, Germany and Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GWW to IRA:
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- About this route
- GWW Airport Information
- IRA Airport Information
- Facts about GWW
- Facts about IRA
- Map of Nearest Airports to GWW
- List of Nearest Airports to GWW
- Map of Furthest Airports from GWW
- List of Furthest Airports from GWW
- Map of Nearest Airports to IRA
- List of Nearest Airports to IRA
- Map of Furthest Airports from IRA
- List of Furthest Airports from IRA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW), Berlin, Germany and Kirakira Airport (IRA), Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,051 miles (or 14,566 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow and Kirakira Airport, 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow and Kirakira Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GWW / EDBG |
| Airport Name: | Royal Air Force Station Gatow |
| Location: | Berlin, Germany |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°28'27"N by 13°8'17"E |
| Operator/Owner: | formerly: Ministry of Defence, now: Bundeswehr |
| Airport Type: | Military (airport no longer in operation) |
| Elevation: | 161 feet (49 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GWW |
| More Information: | GWW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | IRA / AGGK |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 10°26'57"S by 161°53'53"E |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| View all routes: | Routes from IRA |
| More Information: | IRA Maps & Info |
Facts about Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW):
- The closest military neighbour to RAF Gatow was a tank unit of the National People's Army of East Germany.
- Alongside the Royal Air Force and various British civil aviation companies, the United States Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the South African Air Force all flew supplies into RAF Gatow during the Airlift.
- On 20 June 1980, the Royal Australian Air Force presented a Douglas Dakota to RAF Gatow in commemoration of its role.
- RAF Gatow has the unique and unlikely distinction of being the base for the only known operational use of flying boats in central Europe, during the Berlin Blockade, on the nearby Großer Wannsee in the Havel river.
- During the Berlin Airlift, the Station was modernised with a 2,000 yards long concrete runway, using 794 German workers, in March 1947.
- The furthest airport from Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,694 miles (18,819 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- These aircraft were also used for reconnaissance missions in co-operation with The British Commander-in-Chief's Mission to the Soviet Forces of Occupation in Germany, commonly known as BRIXMIS.
- The closest airport to Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) is Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) NE of GWW.
- Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Royal Air Force Station Gatow's relatively low elevation of 161 feet, planes can take off or land at Royal Air Force Station Gatow 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.
- After the Berlin Blockade, RAF Gatow served as an airfield for the British Army's Berlin Infantry Brigade, and was prepared to revert to its role as a supply base, if another Berlin Airlift to West Berlin ever became necessary.
Facts about Kirakira Airport (IRA):
- In addition to being known as "Kirakira Airport", another name for IRA is "Ngorangora Airstrip".
- The furthest airport from Kirakira Airport (IRA) is Cap Skirring Airport (CSK), which is nearly antipodal to Kirakira Airport (meaning Kirakira Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap Skirring Airport), and is located 12,273 miles (19,752 kilometers) away in Cap Skirring, Senegal.
- The closest airport to Kirakira Airport (IRA) is Ulawa Airport (RNA), which is located 41 miles (67 kilometers) N of IRA.
