Nonstop flight route between Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Okushiri, Okushiri Island, Hokkaido, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Okushiri Airport (OIR), Okushiri, Okushiri Island, Hokkaido, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,534 miles (or 8,906 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 Okushiri 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 Okushiri 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 RAF Northolt (NHT):

• Northolt became an active base during the Second World War for Royal Air Force and Polish Air Force squadrons in their defence of the United Kingdom.
• Civil flights ceased when the central area at Heathrow opened in 1954 with Northolt reverting to sole military use in May that year.
• 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.
• Squadrons based at RAF Northolt during the battle shot down a total of 148 Luftwaffe aircraft and damaged 52.
• Thirty Allied airmen including servicemen from Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom were killed flying from RAF Northolt during the Battle of Britain, of whom ten were Polish.
• 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.
• The outbreak of the First World War necessitated a new aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps.
• Since 1 June 1998, station commanders have served as aides-de-camp to Her Majesty the Queen.
• In December 1946, after taking off during a heavy snowstorm, a Douglas DC-3 operated by British European Airways, flying from Northolt to Glasgow, crashed onto the roof of a house in South Ruislip.
• 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 Okushiri Airport (OIR):

• The closest airport to Okushiri Airport (OIR) is Hakodate Airport (HKD), which is located 74 miles (120 kilometers) ESE of OIR.
• Okushiri Airport (OIR) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Okushiri Airport", other names for OIR include "奥尻空港" and "Okushiri Kūkō".
• Because of Okushiri Airport's relatively low elevation of 161 feet, planes can take off or land at Okushiri 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.
• The furthest airport from Okushiri Airport (OIR) is Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport (PDP), which is located 11,508 miles (18,520 kilometers) away in Maldonado/Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay.