Nonstop flight route between Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands and Guarulhos (near São Paulo), São Paulo (state), Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST), Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands and São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU), Guarulhos (near São Paulo), São Paulo (state), Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,039 miles (or 9,718 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 Maastricht Aachen Airport and São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro 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 Maastricht Aachen Airport and São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro 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 Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST):

• The closest airport to Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) is NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) ENE of MST.
• As Nazi Germany was rapidly collapsing, the front was already well into Germany by the time the field was ready, and no direct combat sorties were operated from Y-44.
• An ILS system, which allows landings in poor weather, was built in 1967, for runway 22 only.
• Maastricht Aachen Airport handled 36,300 passengers last year.
• Because of Maastricht Aachen Airport's relatively low elevation of 375 feet, planes can take off or land at Maastricht Aachen 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.
• In 1981, a development plan for the airport recommended constructing a 3,500m east–west runway to facilitate growth in cargo operations, particularly during the night hours.
• Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of the proximity to the new headquarters, the decision was made to create a temporary airfield between the towns of Beek, Geulle and Ulestraten.
• The furthest airport from Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,935 miles (19,207 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Facts about São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU):

• Gol Airlines and TAM Airlines offer for their passengers free bus transfers between Guarulhos and Congonhas airports at regular times.
• São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport handled 36,460,923 passengers last year.
• There are two navigational aids that GRU traffic uses.
• Construction of Terminal 3, capable of handling 12 million passengers per year, had been planned since 2001 but due to a myriad of political and economic problems, the actual construction didn't begin until 2011.
• The closest airport to São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU) is São Paulo/Congonhas Airport (CGH), which is located only 18 miles (28 kilometers) SW of GRU.
• The furthest airport from São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU) is Minami-Daito Airport (MMD), which is nearly antipodal to São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (meaning São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Minami-Daito Airport), and is located 12,218 miles (19,663 kilometers) away in Minami Daito, Okinawa, Japan.
• São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU) has 2 runways.
• In order to relieve the acute overcrowding at Terminals 1 and 2, Infraero announced on May 17, 2011 that the former cargo terminals of defunct airlines VASP and Transbrasil, later used by Federal Agencies, would undergo renovations and adaptations for use as domestic passenger terminals with remote boarding.
• In addition to being known as "São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport", another name for GRU is "Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro".