Nonstop flight route between Luderitz, Namibia and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lüderitz Airport (LUD), Luderitz, Namibia and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,513 miles (or 8,872 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 Lüderitz 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 Lüderitz 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 Lüderitz Airport (LUD):

• The closest airport to Lüderitz Airport (LUD) is Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ), which is located 152 miles (245 kilometers) SSE of LUD.
• Lüderitz Airport (LUD) has 2 runways.
• Lüderitz Airport handled 15,694 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Lüderitz Airport (LUD) is PMRF Barking Sands (BKH), which is located 11,988 miles (19,292 kilometers) away in Kekaha, Hawaii, United States.
• Because of Lüderitz Airport's relatively low elevation of 457 feet, planes can take off or land at Lüderitz 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.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• 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.
• The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
• On 12 May 2005, USAFE activated the 501st Combat Support Wing, with headquarters at RAF Alconbury, to provide support to its GSUs in the United Kingdom.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.