Nonstop flight route between San Antonio, Texas, United States and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between San Antonio International Airport (SAT), San Antonio, Texas, United States and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,449 miles (or 8,770 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 San Antonio International Airport and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, 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 San Antonio International Airport and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base. 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 San Antonio International Airport (SAT):

• Because of San Antonio International Airport's relatively low elevation of 809 feet, planes can take off or land at San Antonio 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.
• San Antonio International Airport (SAT) has 3 runways.
• A two-level parking garage immediately across from Terminal A opened in 1982, and the five-level parking garage opened in 1999.
• The closest airport to San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is Randolph Air Force Base Joint Base San Antonio (RND), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) E of SAT.
• San Antonio International Airport handled 8,034,720 passengers last year.
• In 2008, San Antonio International Airport handled 8,358,515 passengers, up 3.5 percent from the 2007 total, making this the airports fourth consecutive year of increasing passenger numbers.
• The furthest airport from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,114 miles (17,886 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• In 1994 a second Airport Master Plan was developed that would take the airport well into the 21st century.
• San Antonio International Airport was founded in 1941 when the City of San Antonio purchased 1,200 acres of undeveloped land that, at the time, were north of the city limits for a project to be called "San Antonio Municipal Airport." World War II Wartime needs meant the unfinished airport was pressed into federal government service.
• The former Terminal 2 was built in 1951–53, along with the FAA control tower and a baggage claim area.

Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
• 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.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• 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.
• 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.
• 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".
• 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.