Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Luqa, Malta:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from QIE to MLA:
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- About this route
- QIE Airport Information
- MLA Airport Information
- Facts about QIE
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- List of Furthest Airports from QIE
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- List of Furthest Airports from MLA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Malta International Airport (MLA), Luqa, Malta would travel a Great Circle distance of 732 miles (or 1,178 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 relatively short distance between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Malta International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | QIE / LFMI |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Istres, France |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°31'27"N by 4°56'30"E |
Operator/Owner: | Government of France |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 162 feet (49 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from QIE |
More Information: | QIE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MLA / LMML |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Luqa, Malta |
GPS Coordinates: | 35°51'27"N by 14°28'38"E |
Area Served: | Malta |
Operator/Owner: | Malta International Airport plc |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 300 feet (91 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from MLA |
More Information: | MLA Maps & Info |
Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):
- 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.
- Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
- Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Facts about Malta International Airport (MLA):
- In addition to being known as "Malta International Airport", other names for MLA include "Luqa Airport" and "Valletta Airport".
- Malta International Airport air terminal operations include general passenger services, and the operation of an extensive range of retail services at the airport, airside and landside shops, restaurants and other outlets, which are all operated on concession agreements.
- Malta International Airport is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole Maltese Archipelago.
- Malta International Airport (MLA) has 2 runways.
- Malta International Airport has improved services for disabled and reduced mobility people to ensure an easier transit through the airport terminal to the aircraft and similarly on return.
- The increase in passenger handling and aircraft movements necessitated the construction of a civil air terminal.
- The furthest airport from Malta International Airport (MLA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,639 miles (18,731 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- This refurbishment was not enough as it still lacked certain essential facilities.
- Because of Malta International Airport's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Malta International 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.
- Malta International Airport handled 405,200 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to Malta International Airport (MLA) is Xewkija / Gozo Heliport (GZM), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) NW of MLA.
- There was a small increase in the volume of traffic that passed through Malta International Airport in 2011.