Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
(29°42'38"S by 53°41'31"W)
Arrival Airport:
(51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W)
Distance from RIA to FFD:
6,442.55 miles (10,368.26 km)
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- About this route
- RIA Airport Information
- FFD Airport Information
- Facts about RIA
- Facts about FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to RIA
- List of Nearest Airports to RIA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIA
- List of Furthest Airports from RIA
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Airport (RIA), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,443 miles (or 10,368 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 Santa Maria Airport 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 Santa Maria Airport and RAF Fairford. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RIA / SBSM |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil |
| GPS Coordinates: | 29°42'38"S by 53°41'31"W |
| Area Served: | Santa Maria |
| Operator/Owner: | Brazilian Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Public/Military |
| Elevation: | 289 feet (88 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RIA |
| More Information: | RIA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFD / EGVA |
| Airport Name: | RAF Fairford |
| Location: | Fairford, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from FFD |
| More Information: | FFD Maps & Info |
Facts about Santa Maria Airport (RIA):
- Because of Santa Maria Airport's relatively low elevation of 289 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria 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.
- The furthest airport from Santa Maria Airport (RIA) is Aguni Airport (AGJ), which is nearly antipodal to Santa Maria Airport (meaning Santa Maria Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aguni Airport), and is located 12,214 miles (19,656 kilometers) away in Aguni, Japan.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Airport", another name for RIA is "Aeroporto de Santa Maria".
- Santa Maria Airport (RIA) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Santa Maria Airport (RIA) is João Batista Bos Filho Airport (IJU), which is located 93 miles (150 kilometers) N of RIA.
- It is operated by the Brazilian Air Force.
- In 1944 the President of Brazil Getúlio Vargas allocated an area of 4 million square meters near Santa Maria with the purpose of building an aerodrome.
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- 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.
- 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.
- KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
- 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.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 93.10 miles (149.84 km) N | João Batista Bos Filho Airport (IJU) | Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil |     |
| 2 | 102.82 miles (165.48 km) NNW | Sepé Tiaraju Airport (GEL) | Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 3 | 118.70 miles (191.04 km) SSW | Comandante Gustavo Kraemer International Airport (BGX) | Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 4 | 130.56 miles (210.12 km) NE | Lauro Kurtz Airport (PFB) | Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 5 | 132.14 miles (212.66 km) W | Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (ALQ) | Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 6 | 137.61 miles (221.46 km) SW | Pres. Gral. Óscar D. Gestido International Airport (RVY) | Rivera, Rivera, Uruguay | |
| 7 | 149.90 miles (241.24 km) SSW | Cerro Largo International Airport (VCH) | Vichadero, Rivera, Uruguay | |
| 8 | 152.34 miles (245.16 km) E | Salgado Filho International Airport (POA) | Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 9 | 160.41 miles (258.16 km) SSE | Pelotas International Airport (PET) | Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 10 | 165.66 miles (266.61 km) NNE | Erechim Airport (ERM) | Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| 11 | 174.99 miles (281.62 km) WSW | Artigas International Airport (ATI) | Artigas, Artigas, Uruguay | |
| 12 | 184.51 miles (296.94 km) S | Cerro Largo International Airport (MLZ) | Melo, Cerro Largo, Uruguay | |
| 13 | 187.21 miles (301.28 km) SSE | Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG) | Rio Grande, Brazil | |
| 14 | 188.73 miles (303.73 km) NNE | Serafin Enoss Bertaso Airport (XAP) | Chapecó, Brazil | |
| 15 | 193.46 miles (311.35 km) SW | Tacuarembó Airport (TAW) | Tacuarembó, Tacuarembó, Uruguay | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,214.00 miles (19,656.48 km) NNW | Aguni Airport (AGJ) | Aguni, Japan | |
| 2 | 12,212.99 miles (19,654.86 km) WNW | Amami Airport (ASJ) | Amami Island, Japan | |
| 3 | 12,211.55 miles (19,652.53 km) NNW | Iejima Airport (IEJ) | Iejima, Japan | |
| 4 | 12,199.80 miles (19,633.62 km) E | Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport (HSN) | Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China | |
| 5 | 12,197.94 miles (19,630.63 km) WNW | Kikai Airport (KKX) | Kikaiga Shima, Kikai-Shima Island, Japan | |
| 6 | 12,188.18 miles (19,614.93 km) NNW | Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) | Okinawa Prefecture, Japan | |
| 7 | 12,184.76 miles (19,609.41 km) NNW | Kerama Airport (KJP) | Kerama Islands, Okinawa, Japan | |
| 8 | 12,183.89 miles (19,608.02 km) NW | Fukue Airport (FUJ) | Gotō, Nagasaki, Japan | |
| 9 | 12,181.00 miles (19,603.37 km) N | Jeongseok / Jungseok Airport (JDG) | Jeju province, South Korea | |
| 10 | 12,180.58 miles (19,602.70 km) NNW | Naha Airport (OKA) | Okinawa, Japan | |
| 11 | 12,173.98 miles (19,592.07 km) N | Jeju International Airport (CJU) | Jeju, South Korea | |
| 12 | 12,172.43 miles (19,589.58 km) W | Yakushima Airport (KUM) | Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | |
| 13 | 12,150.90 miles (19,554.94 km) ENE | Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) | Shanghai, People's Republic of China | |
| 14 | 12,146.08 miles (19,547.17 km) E | Ningbo Lishe International Airport (NGB) | Ningbo, Zhejiang, China | |
| 15 | 12,137.78 miles (19,533.81 km) WNW | Kagoshima Airport (KOJ) | Kagoshima, Japan | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10.00 miles (16.09 km) ENE | RAF Brize Norton (BZZ) | Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 2 | 15.02 miles (24.17 km) SW | RAF Lyneham (LYE) | Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 3 | 22.77 miles (36.64 km) ENE | Oxford Airport (OXF) | Oxford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 4 | 30.10 miles (48.45 km) E | RAF Benson (BEX) | Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 5 | 36.28 miles (58.38 km) WSW | Bristol Filton Airport (FZO) | Filton, Bristol, United Kingdom | |
| 6 | 42.33 miles (68.12 km) E | RAF High Wycombe (HYC) | High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 7 | 44.98 miles (72.38 km) WSW | Bristol Airport (BRS) | Bristol, England, United Kingdom | |
| 8 | 47.23 miles (76.02 km) SE | Lasham Airfield (QLA) | Lasham, England, United Kingdom | |
| 9 | 47.50 miles (76.44 km) ESE | Blackbushe Airport (BBS) | Yateley, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 10 | 47.84 miles (76.99 km) SE | RAF Odiham (ODH) | Odiham, United Kingdom | |
| 11 | 49.48 miles (79.64 km) NNE | Coventry Airport (CVT) | Coventry, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom | |
| 12 | 50.42 miles (81.15 km) ENE | Milton Keynes Airport (KYN) | Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom | |
| 13 | 51.85 miles (83.45 km) ESE | Farnborough Airport (FAB) | Farnborough, United Kingdom | |
| 14 | 53.35 miles (85.85 km) N | Birmingham Airport (BHX) | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | |
| 15 | 53.92 miles (86.78 km) SSE | Southampton Airport (SOU) | Eastleigh (near Southampton), England, United Kingdom | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,897.99 miles (19,147.91 km) SE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,874.86 miles (19,110.69 km) ESE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,869.65 miles (19,102.31 km) SE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,860.18 miles (19,087.07 km) SE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,839.51 miles (19,053.79 km) SSW | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,834.41 miles (19,045.60 km) SE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,833.87 miles (19,044.72 km) SE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,822.95 miles (19,027.15 km) SSE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,812.41 miles (19,010.18 km) SSE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,804.61 miles (18,997.63 km) SE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,803.98 miles (18,996.62 km) SE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,782.42 miles (18,961.92 km) SE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,774.40 miles (18,949.02 km) SE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,761.76 miles (18,928.67 km) SSE | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,760.44 miles (18,926.54 km) SE | Milford Sound Airport (MFN) | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |