Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ), Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,882 miles (or 6,247 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj, 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj. 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 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.
• 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 airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
• Base aérienne 125 Istres Advanced Landing Ground Y-17
• 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ):

• Because of Civil Enclave Bhuj's relatively low elevation of 257 feet, planes can take off or land at Civil Enclave Bhuj 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.
• Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320, while the apron can accommodate two Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the same time.
• In 2005, then Member of Parliament from Kutch, Pushpdan Gadhavi, as well as Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, made a request to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to rename the airport after revolutionary freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma.
• The closest airport to Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Kandla Airport (IXY), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) ESE of BHJ.
• The furthest airport from Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Civil Enclave Bhuj (meaning Civil Enclave Bhuj is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,163 miles (19,574 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The original ATC tower was destroyed in the earthquake and an ad hoc terminal was set up for rescue operations.
• In addition to being known as "Civil Enclave Bhuj", other names for BHJ include "Bhuj Rudra Mata Airport", "Bhuj Airport" and "Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base".