Nonstop flight route between Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Alexander Bay, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from NHT to ALJ:
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- About this route
- NHT Airport Information
- ALJ Airport Information
- Facts about NHT
- Facts about ALJ
- Map of Nearest Airports to NHT
- List of Nearest Airports to NHT
- Map of Furthest Airports from NHT
- List of Furthest Airports from NHT
- Map of Nearest Airports to ALJ
- List of Nearest Airports to ALJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from ALJ
- List of Furthest Airports from ALJ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ), Alexander Bay, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,631 miles (or 9,063 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 RAF Northolt and Alexander Bay 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 RAF Northolt and Alexander Bay Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | NHT / EGWU |
Airport Name: | RAF Northolt |
Location: | Ruislip, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°33'11"N by 0°25'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from NHT |
More Information: | NHT Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ALJ / FAAB |
Airport Name: | Alexander Bay Airport |
Location: | Alexander Bay, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 28°34'23"S by 16°32'3"E |
Area Served: | Alexander Bay, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 98 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from ALJ |
More Information: | ALJ Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Northolt (NHT):
- Much media attention focused on the airfield when the body of Diana, Princess of Wales, arrived there from Villacoublay airfield, in Paris, France, after her death in a car crash in the city on 31 August 1997.
- The furthest airport from RAF Northolt (NHT) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,871 miles (19,105 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- On 15 September 1940 during the Battle of Britain, No. 1 Squadron RCAF, No. 229 Squadron, No.
- During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways.
- RAF Northolt became home to Prime Minister Winston Churchill's personal aircraft, a modified Douglas C-54 Skymaster, in June 1944.
- On 1 June 1960, an Avro Anson aircraft suffered engine failure soon after take-off from Northolt and crash-landed on top of the nearby Express Dairies plant in South Ruislip.
- Starting in 1946 the airfield was used by civil aviation during the construction of nearby Heathrow Airport.
- The overnight base of the London Air Ambulance moved to RAF Northolt from Denham Aerodrome in February 2013.
- The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.
Facts about Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ):
- The furthest airport from Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,931 miles (19,200 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
- The closest airport to Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ) is Kleinsee Airport (KLZ), which is located 84 miles (135 kilometers) SSE of ALJ.
- Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ) has 3 runways.
- Because of Alexander Bay Airport's relatively low elevation of 98 feet, planes can take off or land at Alexander Bay 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.