Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and La Jolla de Cortes, Sonora, Mexico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Mar de Cortés International Airport (PPE), La Jolla de Cortes, Sonora, Mexico would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,960 miles (or 9,592 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 Mar de Cortés 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 Mar de Cortés 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):

• Mirage 2000 "escadron Limousin"
• 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".
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is a large multi-role tasked French Air Force base located near Istres, northwest of Marseille, France.
• 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Mar de Cortés International Airport (PPE):

• The closest airport to Mar de Cortés International Airport (PPE) is San Felipe International Airport (SFH), which is located 94 miles (151 kilometers) WSW of PPE.
• As of October 31, 2009 the airport is officially open to the public, and is operating as a Mexican Airport of Entry.
• In addition to being known as "Mar de Cortés International Airport", other names for PPE include "Aeropuerto Internacional del Mar de Cortés" and "MMPE".
• Because of Mar de Cortés International Airport's relatively low elevation of 71 feet, planes can take off or land at Mar de Cortés 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.
• The furthest airport from Mar de Cortés International Airport (PPE) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,609 miles (18,683 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The Mar de Cortés International Airport is the first fully privately funded airport in Mexico.
• Mar de Cortés International Airport (PPE) currently has only 1 runway.