Nonstop flight route between Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria and Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Makurdi Airport (MDI), Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,122 miles (or 5,025 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 Makurdi Airport and RAF Lakenheath, 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 Makurdi Airport and RAF Lakenheath. 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 Makurdi Airport (MDI):

• Because of Makurdi Airport's relatively low elevation of 371 feet, planes can take off or land at Makurdi 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.
• Makurdi Airport (MDI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Makurdi Airport (MDI) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to Makurdi Airport (meaning Makurdi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,095 miles (19,465 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• The closest airport to Makurdi Airport (MDI) is Akanu Ibiam International Airport ( AIIA ) (ENU), which is located 111 miles (179 kilometers) SW of MDI.

Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):

• Lakenheath Airfield was used by RAF flying units on detachment late in 1941.
• The furthest airport from RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,827 miles (19,034 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In 1941, hard runways were put down with the main runway, 04/22, being 2,000 yards, and the subsidiaries, 12/30 at 1,300 yards and 16/34 at 1,400 yards.
• The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
• A near nuclear accident occurred on 27 July 1956 – when a B-47 bomber crashed into a storage igloo at Lakenheath containing three MK-6 nuclear weapons while on a routine training mission.
• Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel.
• Aircraft of the 48th FW carry the tail code "LN".
• In response to the threat by the Soviet Union, by the 1948 Berlin blockade, President Truman decided to realign USAFE into a permanent combat-capable force.