Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Liège, Wallonia, Belgium:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Liège Airport (LGG), Liège, Wallonia, Belgium would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,530 miles (or 8,899 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 Castle Airport and Liège Airport, 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 Castle Airport and Liège Airport. 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 Castle Airport (MER):

• With its central location in the San Joaquin Valley, on the route of the proposed California High-Speed Rail system, and with a large, underdeveloped site, Castle Airport has been submitted as a possible location for the central maintenance facility for the system.
• The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
• Because of Castle Airport's relatively low elevation of 191 feet, planes can take off or land at Castle 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 airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
• The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
• The EPA currently has this base listed on their database due to the bulk wastes such as solvents, oils, fuels, and sludges which were disposed in pits at landfills around the base until 1977.

Facts about Liège Airport (LGG):

• Liège Airport (LGG) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Liège Airport (LGG) is Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) NE of LGG.
• Liège Airport is the world hub of TNT Airways, and the European hub of CAL Cargo Air Lines, El Al Cargo, Ethiopian Cargo and Avient Aviation.
• Avient Aviation has its Continental Europe offices on the airport property.
• Liège Airport handled 309,206 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Liège Airport (LGG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,957 miles (19,242 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Liège Airport's relatively low elevation of 659 feet, planes can take off or land at Liège 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.
• Liège Airport, also called Liège-Bierset, is an important cargo airport in Belgium.