Nonstop flight route between Spangdahlem, Germany and Mmabatho, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SPM to MBD:
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- About this route
- SPM Airport Information
- MBD Airport Information
- Facts about SPM
- Facts about MBD
- Map of Nearest Airports to SPM
- List of Nearest Airports to SPM
- Map of Furthest Airports from SPM
- List of Furthest Airports from SPM
- Map of Nearest Airports to MBD
- List of Nearest Airports to MBD
- Map of Furthest Airports from MBD
- List of Furthest Airports from MBD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM), Spangdahlem, Germany and Mafikeng Airport (MBD), Mmabatho, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,362 miles (or 8,630 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 Spangdahlem Air Base and Mafikeng 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 Spangdahlem Air Base and Mafikeng Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SPM / ETAD |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Spangdahlem, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 49°58'32"N by 6°41'49"E |
Operator/Owner: | United States of America |
View all routes: | Routes from SPM |
More Information: | SPM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MBD / FAMM |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Mmabatho, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 25°48'27"S by 25°32'39"E |
Area Served: | Mafikeng, South Africa |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 4181 feet (1,274 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MBD |
More Information: | MBD Maps & Info |
Facts about Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM):
- Spangdahlem Air Base has been a military presence in Germany for over five decades.
- Provides four fully capable U.S.
- On 1 January 1969, the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, located at nearby Bitburg Air Base, assumed operational control of Spangdahlem, becoming a dual-based wing.
- In addition to being known as "Spangdahlem Air Base", another name for SPM is "Spangdahlem AB".
- The 49 TFW remained at Spangdahlem AB until 1 July 1968 when it relocated to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, to serve as the US Air Force’s first dual-based, NATO-committed wing.
- The closest airport to Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM) is Bitburg Airport (BBJ), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) WSW of SPM.
- On 25 August 1959, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Spangdahlem AB from the Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France, and assumed host unit duties.
- The furthest airport from Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,986 miles (19,289 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- In 1957 the RB-57s and RF-84s were transferred to Chateauroux-Deols Air Depot and the 1st and 38th were re-equipped with the Douglas RB-66 Destroyer.
Facts about Mafikeng Airport (MBD):
- The closest airport to Mafikeng Airport (MBD) is Lobatse Airport (LOQ), which is located 43 miles (70 kilometers) NNE of MBD.
- Because of Mafikeng Airport's high elevation of 4,181 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MBD. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MBD a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The furthest airport from Mafikeng Airport (MBD) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is nearly antipodal to Mafikeng Airport (meaning Mafikeng Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kalaupapa Airport), and is located 12,081 miles (19,443 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- Mafikeng Airport (MBD) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Mafikeng Airport", another name for MBD is "Mmabatho Airport".