Nonstop flight route between Hamilton, New Zealand and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hamilton International Airport (HLZ), Hamilton, New Zealand and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 11,472 miles (or 18,462 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 Hamilton International Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Hamilton International Airport and RAF Fairford. 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 Hamilton International Airport (HLZ):

• Hugh McCarroll was the airport's chief executive from the early 2000s until retirement in February 2006.
• The furthest airport from Hamilton International Airport (HLZ) is Córdoba Airport (ODB), which is nearly antipodal to Hamilton International Airport (meaning Hamilton International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Córdoba Airport), and is located 12,427 miles (20,000 kilometers) away in Córdoba, Spain.
• In 1998, Hamilton Airport Motor Inn was developed to cater for travellers using the airport.
• Travel by air began to blossom soon after the war was over, and, in 1950, the airport received its first commercial flight.
• The closest airport to Hamilton International Airport (HLZ) is Matamata Airport (MTA), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) ENE of HLZ.
• Because of Hamilton International Airport's relatively low elevation of 172 feet, planes can take off or land at Hamilton International 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.
• Hamilton International Airport (HLZ) has 4 runways.
• In August 2011, approval was received by Hamilton International Airport to extend its runway up to 3,000 metres - the same size as secondary airports in other parts of the world, such as the Gold Coast.
• In 1994, the airport became a terminal for Trans Tasman air routes, with charter flights provided on Boeing 727s by Kiwi International Airlines of New Zealand which served Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
• The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
• Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation.