Nonstop flight route between Missoula, Montana, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Missoula International Airport (MSO), Missoula, Montana, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,536 miles (or 7,300 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 Missoula International Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Missoula International Airport and RAF Fairford. 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 Missoula International Airport (MSO):

• Missoula International Airport (MSO) has 2 runways.
• Missoula International Airport handled 594,057 passengers last year.
• The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 288,071 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 281,428 in 2009 and 289,875 in 2010.
• In addition to being known as "Missoula International Airport", another name for MSO is "Johnson-Bell Field".
• Missoula's first landing strip was laid out in 1923 south of the university.
• The furthest airport from Missoula International Airport (MSO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,601 miles (17,061 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The closest airport to Missoula International Airport (MSO) is Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), which is located 97 miles (156 kilometers) N of MSO.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.
• The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.