Nonstop flight route between Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Sioux City, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal and Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX), Sioux City, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,542 miles (or 5,700 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 Sioux Gateway 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 Sioux Gateway 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):

• Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S.
• Despite NATO and non-NATO fighter and transport planes which continue to use Lajes on a regular basis, the US DoD movements are now at an all time low.
• 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• Lajes Field was one of the two stopover and refueling bases for the first transatlantic crossing of non-rigid airships in 1944.
• 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.
• 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.
• Base Aérea das LajesBase Aérea Nº 4Aeroporto das Lajes
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX):

• In addition to being known as "Sioux Gateway Airport", another name for SUX is "Colonel Bud Day Field".
• American Airlines announced on December 9, 2011 that their subsidiary, American Eagle Airlines, would begin serving Sioux City from Chicago O'Hare in the spring of 2012.
• The closest airport to Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) is Le Mars Municipal Airport (LRJ), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) NNE of SUX.
• The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings per year.
• Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) has 2 runways.
• The airport designator "SUX" has been contentious.
• In July 2011, Delta Air Lines told the United States Department of Transportation that a weak economy and lower seat demand would force the company to reduce flights to several smaller communities including Sioux City unless it received assistance from the federal government.
• The furthest airport from Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,641 miles (17,125 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• By the mid-1960s ADC was reducing its forces, and on April 1, 1966 the 31st AD was reassigned and the airport was turned over to the Air Force Reserve and Iowa Air National Guard for limited military use.