Nonstop flight route between Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Bradford Regional Airport (BFD), Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,684 miles (or 4,320 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 Bradford Regional 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 Bradford Regional 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• Today, Lajes continues to support transiting aircraft.
• 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.
• Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S.
• Lajes Field also played a crucial role in Cold War politics.
• 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".
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• The civilian terminal also plays an important role in support of passenger and cargo airliners, executive, corporate and private jets flying to the island or beyond as the central location in the Azores group of islands makes it an ideal spot for refuelling or stopover.
• During World War II, the designation of the airfield was changed to Air Base No.4 and the Portuguese government expanded the runway, sending troops and equipment to Terceira, including Gloster Gladiator fighters.
• In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military alliance was established.

Facts about Bradford Regional Airport (BFD):

• The airport covers 1,015 acres at an elevation of 2,143 feet above mean sea level.
• As per the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 4,898 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 2,593 in 2009, and 2,962 in 2010.
• Its first airline flights were United DC-3s in 1948.
• Bradford Regional Airport (BFD) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Bradford Regional Airport (BFD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,513 miles (18,528 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The airport is owned by the Bradford Regional Airport Authority and serves Pennsylvania and Western New York.
• The closest airport to Bradford Regional Airport (BFD) is St. Marys Municipal Airport (STQ), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) SSE of BFD.