Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Wagga Wagga Airport (WGA), Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,372 miles (or 16,692 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 Wagga Wagga 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 Wagga Wagga 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.
• 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.
• 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".
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.

Facts about Wagga Wagga Airport (WGA):

• In April 2011, a joint tender for security upgrades for baggage and passenger screening was called for Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Dubbo Airports, which is to be completed by July 2012.
• Wagga Wagga Airport (WGA) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Wagga Wagga Airport", another name for WGA is "RAAF Base Wagga".
• Because of Wagga Wagga Airport's relatively low elevation of 724 feet, planes can take off or land at Wagga Wagga 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.
• Wagga Wagga City Council publicly released the Wagga Wagga Airport draft master plan in April 2010, which is to establish direction for future development at the airport over a 20-year period.
• Regional Express Airlines maintains its fleet of Saab 340 passenger and freight aircraft at Wagga Wagga Airport.
• The closest airport to Wagga Wagga Airport (WGA) is Cootamundra Airport (CMD), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) NE of WGA.
• Wagga Wagga Airport handled 207,633 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Wagga Wagga Airport (WGA) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is nearly antipodal to Wagga Wagga Airport (meaning Wagga Wagga Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Flores Airport), and is located 12,130 miles (19,522 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
• In December 2009, the airport had undergone a $2.2 million upgrade to increase its capacity for future growth and to improve the security at the airport.