Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,365 miles (or 7,025 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 Hewanorra 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 Hewanorra 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):

• 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 base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• 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 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is a large multi-role tasked French Air Force base located near Istres, northwest of Marseille, France.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"

Facts about Hewanorra International Airport (UVF):

• Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) is George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU), which is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) N of UVF.
• Quebecair flight 714, a Boeing 707 jetliner operating a charter flight from Toronto, caught a wind shear while on approach to Hewanorra international airport on 19 February 1979.
• Because of Hewanorra International Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Hewanorra 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.
• As the amount of air traffic handled at Hewanorra International Airport is steadily increasing every year, St.Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority has requested and received a master plan for the redevelopment and redesign of HIA.
• The furthest airport from Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) is Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport (WGP), which is nearly antipodal to Hewanorra International Airport (meaning Hewanorra International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport), and is located 12,143 miles (19,543 kilometers) away in Waingapu, Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.