Nonstop flight route between Port Lions, Alaska, United States and Valenciennes, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Port Lions Airport (ORI), Port Lions, Alaska, United States and Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS), Valenciennes, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,840 miles (or 7,790 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 Port Lions Airport and Valenciennes-Denain 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 Port Lions Airport and Valenciennes-Denain 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 Port Lions Airport (ORI):

• Because of Port Lions Airport's relatively low elevation of 52 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Lions 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.
• Port Lions Airport (ORI) currently has only 1 runway.
• Port Lions Airport covers an area of 32 acres at an elevation of 52 feet above mean sea level.
• The furthest airport from Port Lions Airport (ORI) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,784 miles (17,355 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Port Lions Airport (ORI) is Port Bailey Seaplane Base (KPY), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) WNW of ORI.

Facts about Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS):

• It supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled.
• Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Denain Airport began as a pre-World War II airport in France, most likely with a grass runway and several support buildings and a hangar.
• The closest airport to Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) is Lille Airport (LIL), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NW of XVS.
• It was seized by the Germans in late May 1940 during the early part of the Battle of France.
• It is known that Denain was used by the Royal Air Force, as it was assigned ALG "B-74".
• Reconstruction of the airport included an entirely new asphalt runway, aligned 11/29, along with appropriate taxiways, ramp space and new infrastructure buildings on the north-west side of the airfield.
• Because of Valenciennes-Denain Airport's relatively low elevation of 177 feet, planes can take off or land at Valenciennes-Denain 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 addition to being known as "Valenciennes-Denain Airport", another name for XVS is "(Advanced Landing Ground A-83/B-74)".
• The furthest airport from Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,987 miles (19,291 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• C-47 Skytrain transports moved in and out of the American controlled airfield almost immediately after the runway was repaired, supplying the front line forces with the necessary materiel to support their advance.