Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Mariupol, Ukraine:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Mariupol International Airport (MPW), Mariupol, Ukraine would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,332 miles (or 8,580 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Mariupol 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Mariupol 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• Following the departure of the last B-1B aircraft in 1994, the base transferred to the new Air Mobility Command and the 319th Bomb Wing was redesignated as the 319th Air Refueling Wing.
• In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• The furthest airport from Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,504 miles (16,904 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of RDR.
• On 1 September 1958, the Strategic Air Command established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
• Grand Forks Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and 16 miles west of Grand Forks.
• On 26 May 1972, President Nixon and Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev signed the ABM Treaty, which limited each nation to one site to protect strategic forces and one site to protect the "National Command Authority." With work about 85 percent complete at Grand Forks, the United States chose to finish construction at the North Dakota site.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• During the Cold War, GFAFB was a major installation of the Strategic Air Command, with B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Facts about Mariupol International Airport (MPW):

• The renovated terminal building of Mariupol Airport is highly advanced and suits the airport of 21st century.
• The furthest airport from Mariupol International Airport (MPW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,790 miles (17,366 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Mariupol International Airport", other names for MPW include ""Міжнародний Aеропорт "Маріуполь"" and ""Международный Аэропорт "Мариуполь"".
• The closest airport to Mariupol International Airport (MPW) is Berdyansk Airport (ERD), which is located 37 miles (60 kilometers) WSW of MPW.
• On May 26, 2004 the airport received the status of International Airport, and on November 7, 2005 the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine issued the Certificate of Conformity which allowed airport to service airlines, passengers, and air cargo.
• Because of Mariupol International Airport's relatively low elevation of 251 feet, planes can take off or land at Mariupol International 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.
• In 1967, airport underwent new constructions with the runway and the airport terminal.
• Mariupol International Airport (MPW) has 3 runways.
• Revival began when construction started on new terminal building, which was launched in February 2003 to a handle passengers up to 200+ per hour.