Nonstop flight route between Montpellier, France and Kandahar, Afghanistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL), Montpellier, France and Kabul International Airport (KDH), Kandahar, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,411 miles (or 5,489 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 Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport and Kabul International 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 Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport and Kabul International 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 Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL):

• Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport", another name for MPL is "Aéroport de Montpellier–Méditerranée".
• The closest airport to Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL) is Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) ENE of MPL.
• The furthest airport from Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (meaning Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,410 miles (19,972 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Montpellier–Méditerranée 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.

Facts about Kabul International Airport (KDH):

• A perimeter was quickly secured around the terminal building and airstrip, and initially all troops worked and lived in and around the main terminal building itself.
• The airport was built in the 1960s by the United States.
• Since the airport was designed as a military base, it is likely that the United States intended to use it in case there was a show-down of war between the United States and former USSR.
• Kabul International Airport (KDH) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Kabul International Airport", other names for KDH include "Kandahar International Airport (Kandahar)" and "میدان هوایی بین المللی کندهار".
• The closest airport to Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Tarin Kowt Airport (TII), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) N of KDH.
• The Afghan government has been slow in rebuilding the facility, the vast majority of it has been reclaimed from years of neglect and damage by Soviet and Taliban soldiers.
• As of 2007, the airport has been repaired and expanded.
• Kandahar International Airport is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan.
• During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the airfield was used intensively by the Soviet Air Forces, both as logistical facility for flying in troops and supplies and as a base for launching airstrikes against local Mujahideen groups.
• The furthest airport from Kabul International Airport (KDH) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Kabul International Airport (meaning Kabul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,023 miles (19,349 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The deployments in February 2006 brought Task Force Afghanistan in Kandahar to about 2,250 personnel.
• Eight General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon close air support fighters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force were deployed to Kandahar Airfield to support the expanded NATO operation in southern Afghanistan in late 2006.