Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Gabès, Tunisia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Gabès - Matmata International Airport (GAE), Gabès, Tunisia would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,989 miles (or 8,029 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 Shaw Air Force Base and Gabès - Matmata 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 Shaw Air Force Base and Gabès - Matmata 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 Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• On 23 September 1949 the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was transferred to the 20th from the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB Virginia.
• The furthest airport from Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,545 miles (18,580 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• On 1 April 1945 jurisdiction of Shaw Field was transferred to First Air Force.
• On March 23, 1953, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated at Shaw.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• As a result of the August 1992 destruction of Homestead AFB Florida by Hurricane Andrew in September 1992, the 31st Fighter Wing's 309th Fighter Squadron was initially evacuated to Shaw AFB prior to the hurricane making landfall.

Facts about Gabès - Matmata International Airport (GAE):

• In addition to being known as "Gabès - Matmata International Airport", other names for GAE include "Aéroport International de Gabés - Matmata" and "مطار قابس مطماطة الدولي".
• The furthest airport from Gabès - Matmata International Airport (GAE) is Gisborne Airport (GIS), which is located 11,690 miles (18,813 kilometers) away in Gisborne, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Gabès - Matmata International Airport (GAE) is Djerba–Zarzis International Airport (DJE), which is located 50 miles (81 kilometers) ENE of GAE.
• Gabès - Matmata International Airport (GAE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Gabès - Matmata International Airport's relatively low elevation of 26 feet, planes can take off or land at Gabès - Matmata 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.