Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Edmonton International Airport (YEG), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,822 miles (or 7,761 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 Edmonton 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 Edmonton 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• 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".

Facts about Edmonton International Airport (YEG):

• Edmonton International Airport handled 6,983,229 passengers last year.
• Edmonton International Airport (YEG) has 2 runways.
• EIA offers US Border Pre-clearance facilities.
• EIA has a wide catchment range encompassing Central and Northern Alberta, northern British Columbia, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
• An eight-storey, 213-room Renaissance hotel, which opened in Spring 2014, is located adjacent to the north terminal.
• During the 1970s, the airport experienced a rapid growth in traffic as the city of Edmonton grew, and served approximately 2 million passengers by 1980.
• Edmonton Transit System provides express service between the Edmonton International Airport and the Century Park LRT Station, facilitating connections to the region's wider transit system.
• The furthest airport from Edmonton International Airport (YEG) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,239 miles (16,478 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton region of the Canadian province of Alberta.
• The closest airport to Edmonton International Airport (YEG) is CFB Edmonton (YED), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) N of YEG.