Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Bridgetown, Barbados:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), Bridgetown, Barbados would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,324 miles (or 6,958 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 Grantley Adams 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 Grantley Adams 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):

• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI):

• Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Grantley Adams International Airport", another name for BGI is "78954[1][2][4]".
• The closest airport to Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) is Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), which is located 108 miles (174 kilometers) WNW of BGI.
• Since Grantley Adams International Airport had become a relatively busy airport for such a small island, and based on the fact that future air traffic to the facilities is expected to increase, the Government of Barbados commenced a US$100 million programme to revamp the Airport's current infrastructure.
• Grantley Adams Airport also serves as the main air-transportation hub for the Eastern Caribbean.
• The furthest airport from Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) is Tardamu Airport (SAU), which is nearly antipodal to Grantley Adams International Airport (meaning Grantley Adams International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tardamu Airport), and is located 12,231 miles (19,684 kilometers) away in Savu Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
• Air transportation at the site of present day airport, then known as Seawell Airport, goes back as far as the late 1930s.
• The Airport has a single east-westerly runway, connected by five taxiway intersections with the aircraft parking area which is adjacent to the main terminals.