Nonstop flight route between Sanya, Hainan, China and Ruislip, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX), Sanya, Hainan, China and RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,037 miles (or 9,716 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 Sanya Phoenix International Airport and RAF Northolt, 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 Sanya Phoenix International Airport and RAF Northolt. 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 Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX):

• The furthest airport from Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX) is Chacalluta International Airport (ARI), which is nearly antipodal to Sanya Phoenix International Airport (meaning Sanya Phoenix International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chacalluta International Airport), and is located 12,420 miles (19,988 kilometers) away in Arica, Chile.
• Sanya Phoenix Airport Railway Station of the Hainan Western Ring High-Speed Railway, which is planned to be opened by the end of 2014, will be located just north of the airport.
• The closest airport to Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX) is Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK), which is located 132 miles (212 kilometers) NNE of SYX.
• In addition to being known as "Sanya Phoenix International Airport", other names for SYX include "三亚凤凰国际机场" and "Sānyà Fènghuáng Guójì Jīcháng".
• Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about RAF Northolt (NHT):

• In 1916, No. 43 Squadron was formed under the command of Major Sholto Douglas.
• The furthest airport from RAF Northolt (NHT) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,871 miles (19,105 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Northolt received its first gate guardian, a Spitfire F.Mk 22, in September 1963.
• Following Louis Blériot's first flight across the English Channel in 1909, the British Army considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack.
• In January 2012, it was reported that the future of station was under review by the Ministry of Defence as part of efforts to reduce defence spending.
• The outbreak of the First World War necessitated a new aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps.
• In August 1996, a Spanish Learjet operated by Mar Aviation overshot runway 25 and collided with a van heading eastward on the A40 Western Avenue.
• Thirty Allied airmen including servicemen from Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom were killed flying from RAF Northolt during the Battle of Britain, of whom ten were Polish.
• The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.