Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Lhoksumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW), Lhoksumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,070 miles (or 9,769 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 Malikus Saleh 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 Malikus Saleh 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):

• 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• 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 main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain transports from the airfield from September to November 1944.
• 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.

Facts about Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW):

• In addition to being known as "Malikus Saleh Airport", another name for LSW is "Bandar Udara Malikussaleh".
• The furthest airport from Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW) is Cap. FAP Victor Montes Arias Airport (TYL), which is nearly antipodal to Malikus Saleh Airport (meaning Malikus Saleh Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap. FAP Victor Montes Arias Airport), and is located 12,305 miles (19,803 kilometers) away in Talara, Peru.
• The closest airport to Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW) is Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport (BTJ), which is located 107 miles (173 kilometers) W of LSW.
• Because of Malikus Saleh Airport's relatively low elevation of 90 feet, planes can take off or land at Malikus Saleh 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.
• Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW) currently has only 1 runway.
• PT Arun NGL initially using aircraft owned by Pelita Air Service to daily flights Lhokseumawe - Medan route.