Nonstop flight route between Iquique, Chile and Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ), Iquique, Chile and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,573 miles (or 10,578 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 Diego Aracena International 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 Diego Aracena International Airport and RAF Lakenheath. 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 Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ):

• Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Diego Aracena International Airport's relatively low elevation of 154 feet, planes can take off or land at Diego Aracena 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.
• In addition to being known as "Diego Aracena International Airport", another name for IQQ is "Aeropuerto Internacional Diego Aracena".
• The furthest airport from Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) is Zhanjiang Airport (ZHA), which is nearly antipodal to Diego Aracena International Airport (meaning Diego Aracena International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zhanjiang Airport), and is located 12,378 miles (19,921 kilometers) away in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China.
• The closest airport to Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) is Carolina Airport (CLN), which is located 150 miles (241 kilometers) S of IQQ.

Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):

• The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
• In addition to supporting three combat-ready squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft, the Liberty Wing houses the 56th Rescue Squadron's HH-60G Combat Search and Rescue helicopters.
• In response to the threat by the Soviet Union, by the 1948 Berlin blockade, President Truman decided to realign USAFE into a permanent combat-capable force.
• The reason for the departure of the two bomber squadrons was Lakenheath's selection for upgrading to a Very Heavy Bomber airfield.
• By the time construction ended the war with Germany was over and RAF Lakenheath was put on a care and maintenance status.
• 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 increasing tension of the Cold War lead to a re-evaluation of these deployments, and by 1953 SAC bombers began to move its heavy bomb groups further west, behind RAF fighter forces, to RAF Brize Norton, RAF Greenham Common, RAF Upper Heyford and RAF Fairford, while its shorter-range B-47 were sent to East Anglia.