Nonstop flight route between Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga and Mountain View, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from TBU to NUQ:
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- About this route
- TBU Airport Information
- NUQ Airport Information
- Facts about TBU
- Facts about NUQ
- Map of Nearest Airports to TBU
- List of Nearest Airports to TBU
- Map of Furthest Airports from TBU
- List of Furthest Airports from TBU
- Map of Nearest Airports to NUQ
- List of Nearest Airports to NUQ
- Map of Furthest Airports from NUQ
- List of Furthest Airports from NUQ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU), Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga and Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ), Mountain View, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,323 miles (or 8,566 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 Fuaʻamotu International Airport and Moffett Federal Airfield, 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 Fuaʻamotu International Airport and Moffett Federal Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | TBU / NFTF |
| Airport Name: | Fuaʻamotu International Airport |
| Location: | Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu, Tonga |
| GPS Coordinates: | 21°14'27"S by 175°8'57"W |
| Area Served: | Nukuʻalofa, Tonga |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Civil Aviation |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 126 feet (38 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from TBU |
| More Information: | TBU Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | NUQ / KNUQ |
| Airport Name: | Moffett Federal Airfield |
| Location: | Mountain View, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°24'53"N by 122°2'53"W |
| Operator/Owner: | NASA Ames Research Center |
| Airport Type: | Private |
| Elevation: | 32 feet (10 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from NUQ |
| More Information: | NUQ Maps & Info |
Facts about Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU):
- The furthest airport from Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) is Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport (TMR), which is nearly antipodal to Fuaʻamotu International Airport (meaning Fuaʻamotu International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport), and is located 12,322 miles (19,830 kilometers) away in Tamanrasset, Algeria.
- Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) has 2 runways.
- On April 28, 2006, the Tongan Government ended their controversial one-airline policy that had been in favour of Peau Vavaʻu.
- Because of Fuaʻamotu International Airport's relatively low elevation of 126 feet, planes can take off or land at Fuaʻamotu 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.
- The closest airport to Fuaʻamotu International Airport (TBU) is Lifuka Island Airport (HPA), which is located 114 miles (183 kilometers) NNE of TBU.
- There is no public bus service to the airport, but several hostels and hotels in Nukuʻalofa meet flights and taxis are available.
- Under Tongan law, Fuaʻamotu International Airport is closed on Sundays — only to be opened in distress, after the minister's approval.
- It is the strength of the runway rather than the length that restricts operations from Fuaʻamotu.
Facts about Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ):
- The adjacent NASA Ames Research Center is also home to several wind tunnels, including the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex.
- The furthest airport from Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Moffett Field's "Hangar One" and the row of World War II blimp hangars are still some of the largest unsupported structures in the country.
- At its peak in the 1990s, NAS Moffett Field was the U.S.
- Because of Moffett Federal Airfield's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Moffett Federal Airfield 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.
- The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, northwest of San Jose.
- Moffett Federal Airfield has occasional air traffic, with an average of 5-10 flights landing per day.
- The airship hangar's interior is so large that fog sometimes forms near the ceiling.
- The closest airport to Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NW of NUQ.
- In September 2008, NASA indicated that it was still urging the Navy to restore the hangar, but that it is willing to help save the structure.
- Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) has 2 runways.
