Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ), Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,698 miles (or 4,343 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Félix Houphouët-Boigny 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Félix Houphouët-Boigny 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• Sometime after World War II, until May 1958 Base Aérienne 125 was host to the Royal Air Force Liaison Party, that serviced transient British and Commonwealth military aircraft staging to and from the United Kingdom.
• Because of Istres-Le Tubé Air Base's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (meaning Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• On 31 March 1992, a Boeing 707 of Kabo Air, a Nigerian company, made an emergency landing at Istres after engines 3 and 4 had separated from the wing in turbulence at 35,000 feet.
• The closest airport to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) ESE of QIE.
• In addition to being known as "Istres-Le Tubé Air Base", another name for QIE is "Base aérienne 125 Istres (BA 125)Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-17".
• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco for air transport of personnel back to the United States.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Base aérienne 125 Istres Advanced Landing Ground Y-17

Facts about Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ):

• The airport is managed by Aeria, a private Ivorian company, who continually developed the airport over the decades and contributing to making it one of the most modern and one of the main hubs of West Africa.
• The furthest airport from Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) is Arorae Island Airport (AIS), which is nearly antipodal to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (meaning Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Arorae Island Airport), and is located 12,247 miles (19,710 kilometers) away in Arorae Island, Kiribati.
• The closest airport to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) is Aboisso Airport (ABO), which is located 47 miles (75 kilometers) ENE of ABJ.
• On 4 May 2012, PROPARCO loans 10 billion CFA francs to Aeria to fund a major expansion and modernization program for the airport.
• Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Like most other airports in the sub-region, Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport hosts the hub of the national flag carrier, namely Air Côte d'Ivoire.
• Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport handled 959,960 passengers last year.