Nonstop flight route between Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Mombasa, Kenya:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Moi International Airport (MBA), Mombasa, Kenya would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,162 miles (or 8,307 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 Moi International 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 Moi International 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 the late 1950s, USAF air refueling/tanker aircraft were stationed at Lajes to provide inflight refueling for U.S.
• 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.
• 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 Field was one of the two stopover and refueling bases for the first transatlantic crossing of non-rigid airships in 1944.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• 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.
• During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Lajes Field also supported U.S.
• Lajes supported the large airlift during the Gulf War.

Facts about Moi International Airport (MBA):

• From July to September 1994, Moi International Airport was used almost continuously as a refuelling station during the Operation Support Hope humanitarian mission into Rwanda.
• Moi International Airport serves the city of Mombasa and surrounding communities.
• The closest airport to Moi International Airport (MBA) is Bamburi Airport (BMQ), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) ENE of MBA.
• Moi International Airport (MBA) has 2 runways.
• Moi International Airport, also called Mombasa Airport, is in Mombasa, Mombasa County, in a township called Port Reitz, in southeastern Kenya, along the Indian Ocean coast.
• The furthest airport from Moi International Airport (MBA) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,478 miles (18,472 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Moi International Airport's relatively low elevation of 200 feet, planes can take off or land at Moi 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.