Nonstop flight route between Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Bikaner, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Bikaner Air Force Base (BKB), Bikaner, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,536 miles (or 8,909 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 Bikaner Air Force Base, 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 Bikaner Air Force Base. 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):

• 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".
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• 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.
• Recently, in August 2010, Portuguese news agencies advised for the termination of the F-22 Raptor plan to use Lajes as a platform for DACT training over the Atlantic Ocean.
• 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.
• Lajes supported the large airlift during the Gulf War.
• By 1943, the British and American armed forces were allowed basing rights in Portugal, and the Royal Air Force took over Lajes Field as RAF Station Lajes.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• In the summer of 1984, Lajes undertook a new mission known as "SILK PURSE." Boeing EC-135s began operating out of Lajes Field as an airborne command post for the U.S.

Facts about Bikaner Air Force Base (BKB):

• Because of Bikaner Air Force Base's relatively low elevation of 750 feet, planes can take off or land at Bikaner Air Force 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 addition to being known as "Bikaner Air Force Base", other names for BKB include "Nal Airport", "बीकानेर एयर फोर्स बेस" and "नाल हवाई अड्डे".
• Bikaner Air Force Base (BKB) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Bikaner Air Force Base (BKB) is Jodhpur Airport (JDH), which is located 126 miles (203 kilometers) S of BKB.
• The government-owned Vayudoot operated a 20-seater aircraft to this airport in the past but the service was terminated in 1987.
• The furthest airport from Bikaner Air Force Base (BKB) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Bikaner Air Force Base (meaning Bikaner Air Force Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,264 miles (19,737 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.