Nonstop flight route between São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe and Luton (near London), England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between São Tomé International Airport (TMS), São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe and London Luton Airport (LTN), Luton (near London), England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,582 miles (or 5,764 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 São Tomé International Airport and London Luton 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 São Tomé International Airport and London Luton 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 São Tomé International Airport (TMS):

• In addition to being known as "São Tomé International Airport", another name for TMS is "Aeroporto Internacional de São Tomé".
• The furthest airport from São Tomé International Airport (TMS) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to São Tomé International Airport (meaning São Tomé International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,239 miles (19,696 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• Because of São Tomé International Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at São Tomé 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.
• The closest airport to São Tomé International Airport (TMS) is Libreville Leon M'ba International Airport (LBV), which is located 187 miles (300 kilometers) E of TMS.
• São Tomé International Airport (TMS) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about London Luton Airport (LTN):

• In 2013, just under 9.7 million passengers passed through the airport, making Luton the sixth busiest airport in the UK.
• In order for the airport to expand further, the Department for Transport advised the airport authority to use the airport site more efficiently.
• London Luton Airport handled 9,697,944 passengers last year.
• The airport lies a few miles away from the M1 motorway, which runs southwards to London, northwards to Leeds and connects to the M25 motorway.
• Because of London Luton Airport's relatively low elevation of 526 feet, planes can take off or land at London Luton 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.
• From the mid-1960s, executive aircraft have been based at the airport, initially operated by McAlpine Aviation.
• The original runways had been grass tracks 18/36 and 06/24, and then a concrete runway 08/26.
• The furthest airport from London Luton Airport (LTN) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,851 miles (19,072 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• London Luton Airport (LTN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to London Luton Airport (LTN) is Hatfield Aerodrome (HTF), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) SSE of LTN.
• The airport remains in municipal ownership, owned by Luton Borough Council but managed by the private sector London Luton Airport Operations Limited.