Nonstop flight route between Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Yulara, Northern Territory, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ), Yulara, Northern Territory, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,853 miles (or 17,465 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 Lajes Air Base and Ayers Rock 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 Lajes Air Base and Ayers Rock 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 Lajes Air Base (TER):

• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• In 1947, the Portuguese Esquadra 41 started to operate from Lajes, equipped with Boeing SB-17, Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Douglas C-54 Skymaster and, later Sikorsky H-19.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S.
• Portugal has explored contingencies in the event the United States military eventually abandons Lajes, including the possibility of entering an agreement with the People's Republic of China.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• In 1980, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Terceira Island.
• The Portuguese Air Force continues to operate one SAR squadron Esq.

Facts about Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ):

• Jetstar operates Airbus A320, Qantaslink operates Boeing 717-200s and Virgin Australia operates a mixture of Boeing 737-700/800s and Embraer E-190s in and out of Ayers Rock Airport.
• The furthest airport from Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) is Barbuda Codrington Airport (BBQ), which is located 11,463 miles (18,448 kilometers) away in Codrington, Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda.
• Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The runway at Ayers Rock Airport is 2,599 m × 30 m.
• The closest airport to Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) is Alice Springs Airport (ASP), which is located 207 miles (333 kilometers) ENE of AYQ.
• Ayers Rock Airport handled 309,089 passengers last year.
• On 6 August 2000, an Ansett Airbus A320-211, arrived from Auckland Airport, New Zealand, carrying the Sydney Olympic Torch for its inaugural Australian leg.
• In addition to being known as "Ayers Rock Airport", other names for AYQ include "Connellan Airport" and "Ayers Rock/Connellan Airport".
• Ayers Rock Airport is situated near Yulara, around 463 km away from Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and 20 minutes drive from Uluru itself.