Nonstop flight route between Paya Lebar, Singapore and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG), Paya Lebar, Singapore and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,811 miles (or 10,961 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 RAF Fairford, 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 RAF Fairford. 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 closest airport to Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG) is Seletar Airport (XSP), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NW of QPG.
• Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) (QPG) currently has only 1 runway.
• Most recently, on 14 November 2009, Air Force One carrying President Barack Obama landed at Paya Lebar Air Base, to attend the APEC Singapore 2009 Summit.
• 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.
• 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".
• Originally built in 1954 as Singapore International Airport to replace Kallang Airport, control of the airport was transferred to RSAF in 1980 when it was renamed Paya Lebar Air Base, following the relocation of the civilian airport to Changi.
• Paya Lebar Air Base also plays host to USAF VIP aircraft as well.
• 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.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
• Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation.
• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• In the early years of the Cold War the British and American governments reached an agreement under which elements of the USAF Strategic Air Command would be based in the UK.
• On 12 May 2005, USAFE activated the 501st Combat Support Wing, with headquarters at RAF Alconbury, to provide support to its GSUs in the United Kingdom.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.