Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP), Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,658 miles (or 9,106 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 Viracopos–Campinas 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 Viracopos–Campinas 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):

• 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.
• On 31 March 1992, a Boeing 707 of Kabo Air, a Nigerian company, made an emergency landing at Istres after engines 3 and 4 had separated from the wing in turbulence at 35,000 feet.
• 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• Base aérienne 125 Istres Advanced Landing Ground Y-17
• 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.

Facts about Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP):

• Viracopos's origin can be traced to a simple airfield near Campinas built during the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution in São Paulo.
• The furthest airport from Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP) is Minami-Daito Airport (MMD), which is nearly antipodal to Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (meaning Viracopos–Campinas International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Minami-Daito Airport), and is located 12,216 miles (19,660 kilometers) away in Minami Daito, Okinawa, Japan.
• There are two versions of the origin of the name Viracopos.
• Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP) is Campo dos Amarais State Airport (CPQ), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) N of VCP.
• In addition to being known as "Viracopos–Campinas International Airport", another name for VCP is "Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos–Campinas".
• Viracopos–Campinas International Airport handled 8,824,074 passengers last year.
• The region of Campinas, like most of the interior of the state of São Paulo, is one of the most prosperous in Brazil, with an impressive economic output.
• In 2012 the airport was ranked 7th in terms of transported passengers, 9th, in terms of aircraft operations, and 2nd in terms of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country.