Nonstop flight route between Kerikeri, New Zealand and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kerikeri Airport (KKE), Kerikeri, New Zealand and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 11,314 miles (or 18,208 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 Kerikeri Airport and MoD St Athan, 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 Kerikeri Airport and MoD St Athan. 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 Kerikeri Airport (KKE):

• These distances are within the range of many light aircraft when fitted with long range tanks, while the direct distance without using Norfolk Island as a stepping stone is usually beyond their capabilities.
• The furthest airport from Kerikeri Airport (KKE) is Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG), which is nearly antipodal to Kerikeri Airport (meaning Kerikeri Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport), and is located 12,403 miles (19,961 kilometers) away in Tangier, Morocco.
• In 1972, Mount Cook Airlines decided to use the airport to connect to tourist resorts.
• The closest airport to Kerikeri Airport (KKE) is Kaikohe Aerodrome (KKO), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) SSW of KKE.
• Kerikeri Airport (KKE) has 3 runways.
• Because of Kerikeri Airport's relatively low elevation of 492 feet, planes can take off or land at Kerikeri 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.
• If an Air New Zealand flight from Kerikeri to Auckland is not full and an Air New Zealand flight from Whangarei to Auckland is canceled, Air New Zealand sometimes flys their Beechcraft 1900D from Kerikeri to Whangarei then on to Auckland.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 2006, the Special Forces Support Group was raised at St Athan and the Welsh Guards returned to London.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• During the war a dummy airfield was built using wood and cardboard a few miles west of the original airfield and successful efforts were made to hide the proper field.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.
• On 26 August 1993 an ATC civilian instructor was seriously injured and the RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot, Group Captain Roger Sweatman, was killed when their Chipmunk trainer, on an air experience flight, crashed after encountering difficulties during a simulated emergency low-height manoeuvre on take-off.