Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Chongqing, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG), Chongqing, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,366 miles (or 8,635 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 Chongqing Jiangbei 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 Chongqing Jiangbei 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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".
• Base aérienne 125 Istres Advanced Landing Ground Y-17
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG):

• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport handled 25,272,039 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is nearly antipodal to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (meaning Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from La Florida Airport), and is located 12,307 miles (19,806 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.
• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) has 4 runways.
• There is a bus transition center between Hall A and Hall B of Terminal 2, and it offers bus services to nearby cities in Sichuan and Guizhou Province, as well as satellite cities of Chongqing Municipality.
• On 22 January 1990, the new airport, Chongqing Jiangbei Airport was opened and it replaced the old Baishiyi Airport.
• The closest airport to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) is Nanchong Gaoping Airport (NAO), which is located 80 miles (128 kilometers) NNW of CKG.
• In the Terminal 3A which is currently at an early stage of construction, there is a huge underground railway station planned and will be opened in 2015 with the completion of Terminal 3A.
• In addition to being known as "Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport", other names for CKG include "重庆江北国际机场" and "Chóngqìng Jiāngběi Guójì Jīchǎng".
• Cargo traffic increased at an average rate of 14% in the first six months of 2011, driven by exponential growth in international cargo.