Nonstop flight route between Gwangju (Kwangju), South Korea and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gwangju Airport (KWJ), Gwangju (Kwangju), South Korea and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,742 miles (or 9,241 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 Gwangju 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 Gwangju 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 Gwangju Airport (KWJ):

• The airport was established in November 1948.
• Gwangju Airport (KWJ) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Gwangju Airport (KWJ) is Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport (PDP), which is nearly antipodal to Gwangju Airport (meaning Gwangju Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport), and is located 12,327 miles (19,839 kilometers) away in Maldonado/Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay.
• Because of Gwangju Airport's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Gwangju 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.
• Gwangju Airport handled 1,539,187 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Gwangju Airport (KWJ) is Mokpo Airport (MPK), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) SW of KWJ.
• In addition to being known as "Gwangju Airport", other names for KWJ include "광주공항 光州空港", "Gwangju Gonghang" and "Kwangju Konghang".

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The only squadrons to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis are the University of Wales Air Squadron, flying Grob Tutors and No 634 Volunteer Gliding Squadron using Vigilant T.1s.
• Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died.
• RAF St Athan has been used to house a number of army units throughout its life and, in 2003, the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards moved from Aldershot to St Athan - the first time they have been based in Wales since they were formed in 1915.
• 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.
• After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• The station officially opened as RAF St Athan on 1 September 1938 and the first unit to take up residence was No 4 School of Technical Training.
• 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.
• 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.