Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Romulus (near Detroit), Michigan, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Romulus (near Detroit), Michigan, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,242 miles (or 6,827 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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 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.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is a large multi-role tasked French Air Force base located near Istres, northwest of Marseille, France.
• 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".
• Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
• 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.
• 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 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 base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• Built prior to World War II, Istres Air Base was first used by the Armée de l'air during the early part of the war, and after the 1940 Battle of France and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government.
• The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.

Facts about Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW):

• The closest airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is Willow Run Airport (YIP) (YIP), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) W of DTW.
• The Wayne County Airport Authority's latest FAA Master Plan includes a number of proposed future developments to be considered at such time as demand warrants and funding is available.
• The furthest airport from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,285 miles (18,161 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• A AAA Four Star Westin hotel is directly connected to the terminal.
• The Smith Terminal, named for Detroit-Wayne Major airport visionary Leroy C.
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering 7,072-acre in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
• Because of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport's relatively low elevation of 645 feet, planes can take off or land at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 terminal houses all non-SkyTeam airlines serving the airport.
• In 2009 Detroit Metro Airport launched its first social media efforts with participation in Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube networks.
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) has 6 runways.
• In April 2011 Lufthansa launched a unique curbside check-in and baggage check service for premium customers departing from DTW's North Terminal to Frankfurt and beyond.