Nonstop flight route between Mombasa, Kenya and Mountain View, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Moi International Airport (MBA), Mombasa, Kenya and Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ), Mountain View, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,855 miles (or 15,860 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 Moi International Airport and Moffett Federal Airfield, 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 Moi International Airport and Moffett Federal Airfield. 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 Moi International Airport (MBA):

• Moi International Airport serves the city of Mombasa and surrounding communities.
• From July to September 1994, Moi International Airport was used almost continuously as a refuelling station during the Operation Support Hope humanitarian mission into Rwanda.
• Moi International Airport (MBA) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Moi International Airport (MBA) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,478 miles (18,472 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Moi International Airport's relatively low elevation of 200 feet, planes can take off or land at Moi 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.
• The closest airport to Moi International Airport (MBA) is Bamburi Airport (BMQ), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) ENE of MBA.

Facts about Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ):

• Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) has 2 runways.
• In 1931, the city of Sunnyvale acquired a 1,000 acres parcel of farmland bordering San Francisco Bay, paid for with nearly $480,000 raised by the citizens of Santa Clara County, then "sold" the parcel for $1 to the US government as a home base for the Navy airship USS Macon.
• The closest airport to Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NW of NUQ.
• The furthest airport from Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• On 1 July 1994, NAS Moffett Field was closed as a naval air station and turned over to the NASA Ames Research Center.
• In April 2011, the exterior panels began coming down, starting at the top.
• The Hangars One, Two, and Three, and the adjacent Shenandoah Plaza are collectively designated as a National Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The US Navy is evaluating options for remediating the PCBs, lead and asbestos, and NASA is evaluating options for reuse of the hangar.
• Because of Moffett Federal Airfield's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Moffett Federal Airfield 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.