Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Aksu, Xinjiang, China:
Departure Airport:
 
    Arrival Airport:
 
    Distance from QIE to AKU:
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- About this route
- QIE Airport Information
- AKU Airport Information
- Facts about QIE
- Facts about AKU
- 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 AKU
- List of Nearest Airports to AKU
- Map of Furthest Airports from AKU
- List of Furthest Airports from AKU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Aksu Airport (AKU), Aksu, Xinjiang, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,710 miles (or 5,971 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 Aksu 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 Aksu 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: | AKU / ZWAK | 
| Airport Names: | 
 | 
| Location: | Aksu, Xinjiang, China | 
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°15'45"N by 80°17'30"E | 
| Area Served: | Aksu, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China | 
| Airport Type: | Public | 
| Elevation: | 3816 feet (1,163 meters) | 
| # of Runways: | 1 | 
| View all routes: | Routes from AKU | 
| More Information: | AKU Maps & Info | 
Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):
- Mirage 2000 "escadron Limousin"
- 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".
- 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 airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
- 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.
- Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
- Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Aksu Airport (AKU):
- The furthest airport from Aksu Airport (AKU) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,317 miles (18,214 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
- The closest airport to Aksu Airport (AKU) is Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA), which is located 143 miles (230 kilometers) ENE of AKU.
- In addition to being known as "Aksu Airport", other names for AKU include "阿克苏机场" and "Ākèsù Jīchǎng".
- Aksu Airport (AKU) currently has only 1 runway.




