Nonstop flight route between Kayes, Mali and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kayes Airport (KYS), Kayes, Mali and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,625 miles (or 4,225 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 Kayes 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 Kayes 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 Kayes Airport (KYS):

• The furthest airport from Kayes Airport (KYS) is Maewo-Naone Airport (MWF), which is nearly antipodal to Kayes Airport (meaning Kayes Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maewo-Naone Airport), and is located 12,387 miles (19,935 kilometers) away in Maewo, Vanuatu.
• Kayes Airport (KYS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Kayes Airport's relatively low elevation of 164 feet, planes can take off or land at Kayes 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.
• The closest airport to Kayes Airport (KYS) is Yélimané Airport (EYL), which is located 72 miles (116 kilometers) NE of KYS.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• 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.
• 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.
• On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.
• RAF Fairford was constructed in 1944 to serve as an airfield for British and American troop carriers and gliders for the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.