Nonstop flight route between Paya Lebar, Singapore and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG), Paya Lebar, Singapore and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,884 miles (or 11,079 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 Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) and MoD St Athan, 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 Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) and MoD St Athan. 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 Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG):

• The airport was built from 1952 to 1955, and opened on 20 August 1955 by the Secretary of State for Colonies, Alan Lennox-Boyd.
• The USAF Boeing 747-200 E-4B regularly lands at the base when the U.S.
• In addition to being known as "Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB)", other names for QPG include "巴耶利峇空军基地" and "Pangkalan Udara Paya Lebar".
• From 1979 to 1980, British Airways, in conjunction with Singapore Airlines, began supersonic Concorde services from London's Heathrow Airport, to Paya Lebar Singapore.
• Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG) currently has only 1 runway.
• It was a hub for Malayan Airways at this time, and the airline had its first flight outside Southeast Asia in 1958, using a DC-4 leased from Qantas, flying to Hong Kong.
• Besides being used by various flying units of United States Air Force and United States Navy as a refuelling stopover and staging post/transit point, the base is also used permanently by the 497th Combat Training Squadron for other flight operations since 31 October 1991.
• The closest airport to Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG) is Seletar Airport (XSP), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NW of QPG.
• Because of Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB)'s relatively low elevation of 65 feet, planes can take off or land at Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) 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 old passenger terminal building and control tower still stand, though they now house air force units and are off limits to the public.
• The furthest airport from Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG) is Francisco de Orellana Airport (OCC), which is nearly antipodal to Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (meaning Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Francisco de Orellana Airport), and is located 12,349 miles (19,874 kilometers) away in Coca, Ecuador.
• Paya Lebar began to be gradually converted into a military air-force base from Late 1967 onwards.
• An RSAF C-130H performing short field landing at PLAB

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• During the war a dummy airfield was built using wood and cardboard a few miles west of the original airfield and successful efforts were made to hide the proper field.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• In March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.
• During the 1960s, a driving school was established.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.
• RAF St Athan was also home for the Royal Air Force Administrative Apprentice Training School.
• On 26 August 1993 an ATC civilian instructor was seriously injured and the RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot, Group Captain Roger Sweatman, was killed when their Chipmunk trainer, on an air experience flight, crashed after encountering difficulties during a simulated emergency low-height manoeuvre on take-off.
• In 2009 building work was due to commence on a new defence training academy with its heart at St Athan.