Nonstop flight route between Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), United States and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR), Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), United States and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,738 miles (or 7,625 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 Sugar Land Regional Airport 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 Sugar Land Regional Airport 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 Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR):

• Sugar Land Regional Airport covers an area of 426 acres and contains one concrete paved runway designated 17/35 which measures 8,000 x 100 ft.
• It was formerly known as Sugar Land Municipal Airport, or Hull Field.
• The furthest airport from Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,990 miles (17,687 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is Andrau Airpark (AAP), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) NE of SGR.
• Topographical map of the airport, the Central Prison Farm, and the Jester Prison Farm, Jester III, and Jester IV), July 1, 1990, U.S.
• The City of Houston maintains Cullinan Park, which occupies 750 acres of land directly north and west of the Sugar Land Regional Airport, blocking possibilities for expansion.
• Because of Sugar Land Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 82 feet, planes can take off or land at Sugar Land Regional 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.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• 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.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.
• The last aircraft to be serviced at St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012.
• Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died.
• The new academy was claimed to create up to 5000 jobs at St Athan with a £14 billion investment over 25 years with an estimated £57.4 million spent into the local economy.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• The MOD continued to negotiate the project with the Metrix Consortium, but the price rose several times, reaching £14 billion in mid-2009.
• 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.
• 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.
• In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.