Nonstop flight route between Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Niamey, Niger:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK), Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM), Niamey, Niger would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,031 miles (or 8,096 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 Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Diori Hamani 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 Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Diori Hamani 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 Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK):

• A highway extension to the new air station was required by the project—250,000 tons of material were transported by either truck or water routes during a year of construction.
• Because of Naval Air Station Patuxent River's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Air Station Patuxent River 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 addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Patuxent River", other names for NHK include "Trapnell Field" and "KNHK - FAA: NHK".
• The closest airport to Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) is St. Mary's County Regional Airport (LTW), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) WNW of NHK.
• The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,728 miles (18,874 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The base became a center for testing as several facilities were constructed throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
• Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) has 3 runways.
• It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Command, the U.S.
• The base was also was used as a filming location for the Harrison Ford film Random Hearts.
• The onset of American involvement in World War II spurred establishment of the new air station.Rear Admiral John Henry Towers, Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics, requested approval and authorization to begin construction on December 22, 1941.

Facts about Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM):

• Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM) has 2 runways.
• ASECNA operates the "African School for Meteorology and Civil Aviation/Ecole Africaine de la Météorologie et de l'Aviation Civile" at the Niamey airport complex, as well as in the Plateau quarter of Niamey city centre.
• Diori Hamani International Airport handled 154,460 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM) is Kantchari Airport (XKA), which is located 84 miles (135 kilometers) SSW of NIM.
• Diori Hamani International Airport is an airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
• The furthest airport from Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM) is Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT), which is nearly antipodal to Diori Hamani International Airport (meaning Diori Hamani International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport), and is located 12,377 miles (19,919 kilometers) away in Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands.
• Because of Diori Hamani International Airport's relatively low elevation of 732 feet, planes can take off or land at Diori Hamani 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.