Nonstop flight route between Makoua, Republic of the Congo and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Makoua Airport (MKJ), Makoua, Republic of the Congo and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,802 miles (or 6,119 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 Makoua Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Makoua Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Makoua Airport (MKJ):

• The closest airport to Makoua Airport (MKJ) is Owando Airport (FTX), which is located 44 miles (70 kilometers) SE of MKJ.
• The furthest airport from Makoua Airport (MKJ) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is located 11,930 miles (19,199 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• The civilian terminal also plays an important role in support of passenger and cargo airliners, executive, corporate and private jets flying to the island or beyond as the central location in the Azores group of islands makes it an ideal spot for refuelling or stopover.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• The resident Portuguese 711 Squadron "Albatrozes" was deactivated on 30 November 2006.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military alliance was established.
• Today, Lajes continues to support transiting aircraft.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• In the late 1950s, USAF air refueling/tanker aircraft were stationed at Lajes to provide inflight refueling for U.S.