Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina:
Departure Airport:
(43°31'27"N by 4°56'30"E)
Arrival Airport:
(34°35'17"S by 68°24'12"W)
Distance from QIE to AFA:
7,095.92 miles (11,419.74 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- QIE Airport Information
- AFA Airport Information
- Facts about QIE
- Facts about AFA
- Map of Nearest Airports to QIE
- List of Nearest Airports to QIE
- Map of Furthest Airports from QIE
- List of Furthest Airports from QIE
- Map of Nearest Airports to AFA
- List of Nearest Airports to AFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from AFA
- List of Furthest Airports from AFA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and San Rafael Airport (AFA), San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,096 miles (or 11,420 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 San Rafael 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 San Rafael Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | QIE / LFMI |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Istres, France |
| GPS Coordinates: | 43°31'27"N by 4°56'30"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of France |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 162 feet (49 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from QIE |
| More Information: | QIE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | AFA / SAMR |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina |
| GPS Coordinates: | 34°35'17"S by 68°24'12"W |
| Area Served: | San Rafael, Mendoza Province, Argentina |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 2470 feet (753 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from AFA |
| More Information: | AFA Maps & Info |
Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):
- 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.
- Mirage 2000 "escadron Limousin"
- C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
- 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.
- 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.
- Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
- The main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain transports from the airfield from September to November 1944.
- 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".
Facts about San Rafael Airport (AFA):
- In addition to being known as "San Rafael Airport", another name for AFA is "Aeropuerto San Rafael "Santiago Germano"".
- The closest airport to San Rafael Airport (AFA) is Comodoro D. Ricardo Salomón Airport (LGS), which is located 91 miles (147 kilometers) SW of AFA.
- The furthest airport from San Rafael Airport (AFA) is Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA), which is nearly antipodal to San Rafael Airport (meaning San Rafael Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Luoyang Beijiao Airport), and is located 12,391 miles (19,941 kilometers) away in Luoyang, Henan, China.
- San Rafael Airport (AFA) currently has only 1 runway.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 14.99 miles (24.12 km) ESE | Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) | Marseille, France |     |
| 2 | 21.36 miles (34.38 km) E | Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (QXB) | Aix-en-Provence / Les Milles, France | |
| 3 | 26.48 miles (42.62 km) N | Avignon - Caumont Airport (AVN) | Avignon, France | |
| 4 | 30.81 miles (49.58 km) WNW | Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes Airport (FNI) | Nîmes-Arles-Camargue, France | |
| 5 | 42.69 miles (68.70 km) N | Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (XOG) | Orange, France | |
| 6 | 49.14 miles (79.08 km) W | Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL) | Montpellier, France | |
| 7 | 67.36 miles (108.41 km) ESE | Toulon–Hyères Airport (TLN) | Toulon, France | |
| 8 | 80.45 miles (129.48 km) ESE | La Môle – Saint-Tropez Airport (LTT) | La Môle / Saint-Tropez, France | |
| 9 | 80.91 miles (130.21 km) W | Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (BZR) | Béziers, France | |
| 10 | 96.13 miles (154.70 km) N | Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) | Valence, France | |
| 11 | 100.81 miles (162.24 km) E | Cannes - Mandelieu Airport (CEQ) | Cannes, France | |
| 12 | 102.14 miles (164.37 km) NE | Barcelonnette - Saint-Pons Airport (BAE) | Barcelonnette / Saint-Pons, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France | |
| 13 | 114.17 miles (183.74 km) E | Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) | Nice, France | |
| 14 | 117.63 miles (189.31 km) WSW | Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (PGF) | Perpignan, France | |
| 15 | 121.91 miles (196.20 km) NNE | Alpe d'Huez Airport (AHZ) | Alpe d'Huez, France | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,364.15 miles (19,898.13 km) ESE | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,942.89 miles (19,220.16 km) SE | Gisborne Airport (GIS) | Gisborne, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,934.22 miles (19,206.22 km) ESE | Hawke's Bay Airport (NPE) | Napier, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,929.54 miles (19,198.68 km) ESE | Hood Aerodrome (MRO) | Masterton, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,909.19 miles (19,165.94 km) ESE | Palmerston North Airport (PMR) | Palmerston North, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,898.40 miles (19,148.57 km) ESE | Wellington International Airport (WLG) | Wellington, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,896.71 miles (19,145.85 km) ESE | Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) | Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,870.08 miles (19,103.00 km) ESE | Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO) | Taupo, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,869.92 miles (19,102.74 km) ESE | Wanganui Airport (WAG) | Wanganui, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,865.80 miles (19,096.11 km) SE | Whakatane Airport (WHK) | Whakatane, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,859.01 miles (19,085.18 km) E | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,856.70 miles (19,081.47 km) E | Woodbourne Airport (BHE) | Blenheim, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,851.38 miles (19,072.90 km) SE | Rotorua International Airport (ROT) | Rotorua, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,825.96 miles (19,031.99 km) SE | Tauranga Airport (TRG) | Tauranga, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,820.02 miles (19,022.43 km) E | Nelson AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Whakatū (NSN) | Nelson, New Zealand | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 91.09 miles (146.59 km) SW | Comodoro D. Ricardo Salomón Airport (LGS) | Malargüe, Mendoza, Argentina | |
| 2 | 123.40 miles (198.59 km) N | Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport (MDZ) | Mendoza, Mendoza Province, Argentina | |
| 3 | 148.57 miles (239.10 km) NE | Brigadier Mayor Cesar Raúl Ojeda Airport (LUQ) | San Luis, Argentina | |
| 4 | 159.49 miles (256.68 km) WNW | Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) | Santiago, Chile | |
| 5 | 186.41 miles (300.00 km) W | La Unión Airport (LUI) | La Unión, Honduras[disambiguation needed] | |
| 6 | 204.94 miles (329.82 km) N | Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport (UAQ) | San Juan Province, Argentina | |
| 7 | 209.76 miles (337.58 km) WNW | Viña del Mar Airport (KNA) | Viña del Mar, Chile | |
| 8 | 221.99 miles (357.26 km) SSW | Chos Malal Airport (HOS) | Chos Malal, Neuquén, Argentina | |
| 9 | 231.70 miles (372.88 km) S | Colonia Catriel Airport (CCT) | Colonia Catriel, Río Negro, Argentina | |
| 10 | 246.02 miles (395.93 km) SW | General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (YAI) | Chillán, Ñuble, Chile | |
| 11 | 262.17 miles (421.92 km) NE | Villa Dolores Airport (VDR) | Villa Dolores, Córdoba, Argentina | |
| 12 | 268.18 miles (431.59 km) SSW | Caviahue Airport (CVH) | Caviahue, Neuquén, Argentina | |
| 13 | 269.90 miles (434.36 km) ESE | Santa Rosa Airport (RSA) | Santa Rosa, Argentina | |
| 14 | 273.38 miles (439.96 km) ESE | General Pico Airport (GPO) | General Pico, La Pampa, Argentina | |
| 15 | 301.62 miles (485.40 km) S | Presidente Perón Internacional Airport (NQN) | Neuquen, Argentina | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,390.57 miles (19,940.64 km) WNW | Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA) | Luoyang, Henan, China | |
| 2 | 12,388.53 miles (19,937.35 km) NE | Yuncheng Guangong Airport (YCU) | Yuncheng, China | |
| 3 | 12,311.28 miles (19,813.04 km) NNW | Nanyang Jiangying Airport (NNY) | Nanyang, Henan, China | |
| 4 | 12,308.99 miles (19,809.36 km) W | Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) | Zhengzhou, Henan, China | |
| 5 | 12,295.01 miles (19,786.85 km) E | Xi'an Xiguan Airport (SIA) | Xi'an, Shaanxi, China | |
| 6 | 12,293.40 miles (19,784.26 km) NW | Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) | Changzhi, Shanxi, China | |
| 7 | 12,274.55 miles (19,753.92 km) E | Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) | Xianyang, Shaanxi, China | |
| 8 | 12,263.65 miles (19,736.38 km) NNW | Xiangyang Liuji Airport (XFN) | Xiangfan, Hubei, China | |
| 9 | 12,254.59 miles (19,721.81 km) NE | Yan'an Airport (ENY) | Yan'an, Shaanxi, China | |
| 10 | 12,235.88 miles (19,691.69 km) NE | Ankang Wulipu Airport (AKA) | Ankang, Shaanxi, China | |
| 11 | 12,228.83 miles (19,680.34 km) NW | Handan Airport (HDG) | Handan, Hebei, China | |
| 12 | 12,221.44 miles (19,668.46 km) N | Lüliang Airport (LLV) | Lüliang, Shanxi, China | |
| 13 | 12,220.07 miles (19,666.25 km) NNE | Shennongjia Hongping Airport (HPG) | Shennongjia, Hubei, China | |
| 14 | 12,212.37 miles (19,653.85 km) NW | Xingtai Dalian Airport (XNT) | Xingtai, Hebei, China | |
| 15 | 12,211.08 miles (19,651.78 km) NNW | Taiyuan Wuxu International Airport (TYN) | Taiyuan, Shanxi, China | |