Nonstop flight route between McAllen, Texas, United States and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE), McAllen, Texas, United States and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,021 miles (or 8,080 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 McAllen Miller International Airport and MoD St Athan, 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 McAllen Miller International Airport and MoD St Athan. 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 McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE):

• Because of McAllen Miller International Airport's relatively low elevation of 107 feet, planes can take off or land at McAllen Miller 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 airport has on-site rental car companies.
• The furthest airport from McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,187 miles (18,003 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE) is General Lucio Blanco International Airport (REX), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) S of MFE.
• As of March 2012, the airport is currently undergoing expansion and renovation with an expected completion date of March 2014.
• The two runways are the center the airside portion of MFE.
• McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE) has 2 runways.
• McAllen Miller International Airport is a city owned, public use airport located two nautical miles south of the central business district of McAllen, a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States.
• MFE is the busiest commercial passenger airport in the Rio Grande Valley metropolitan area.
• On September 7, 2010, Delta Connection partner Atlantic Southeast Airlines resumed service to MFE essentially taking over the non-stop MFE-MEM route from Pinnacle Airlines.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.
• After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The last aircraft to be serviced at St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012.
• MOD St Athan is a large Ministry of Defence unit near the village of St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, southern Wales.
• St Athan also became the major RAF maintenance base for Vulcan, Victor, Buccaner, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and VC10 aircraft, originally under direct RAF control, but latterly under the auspices of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.
• The two cadet passengers were cousins and were named as Katie Jo Davies, 15, and Nikitta Walters, 14.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.