Nonstop flight route between Valence, France and Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from VAF to APW:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- VAF Airport Information
- APW Airport Information
- Facts about VAF
- Facts about APW
- Map of Nearest Airports to VAF
- List of Nearest Airports to VAF
- Map of Furthest Airports from VAF
- List of Furthest Airports from VAF
- Map of Nearest Airports to APW
- List of Nearest Airports to APW
- Map of Furthest Airports from APW
- List of Furthest Airports from APW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF), Valence, France and Faleolo International Airport (APW), Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,282 miles (or 16,547 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 Valence - Chabeuil Airport and Faleolo 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 Valence - Chabeuil Airport and Faleolo International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VAF / LFLU |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Valence, France |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°54'56"N by 4°58'6"E |
Area Served: | Valence, Drôme, France |
Operator/Owner: | Department of Drôme |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 525 feet (160 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from VAF |
More Information: | VAF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | APW / NSFA |
Airport Name: | Faleolo International Airport |
Location: | Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa |
GPS Coordinates: | 13°49'46"S by 172°0'29"W |
Area Served: | Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 58 feet (18 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from APW |
More Information: | APW Maps & Info |
Facts about Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF):
- Because of Valence - Chabeuil Airport's relatively low elevation of 525 feet, planes can take off or land at Valence - Chabeuil 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 Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) is Grenoble–Isère Airport (GNB), which is located 36 miles (57 kilometers) NNE of VAF.
- The furthest airport from Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Valence - Chabeuil Airport (meaning Valence - Chabeuil Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,333 miles (19,848 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The airport's origin dates from the 1930s when the French Air Force established Valence-Chabeuil Air Base.
- In addition to being known as "Valence - Chabeuil Airport", other names for VAF include "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-23" and "Aéroport de Valence - Chabeuil".
- Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) has 3 runways.
- After the forceful occupation of Vichy France in November 1942 as a result of Case Anton Wehrmacht units moved into the Valence area and the airport came under the control of the Luftwaffe.
Facts about Faleolo International Airport (APW):
- Faleolo International Airport (APW) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Faleolo International Airport's relatively low elevation of 58 feet, planes can take off or land at Faleolo 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 Faleolo International Airport (APW) is Maota (Salelologa) Airport (MXS), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) WNW of APW.
- Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737.
- The furthest airport from Faleolo International Airport (APW) is Maradi Airport (MFQ), which is nearly antipodal to Faleolo International Airport (meaning Faleolo International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maradi Airport), and is located 12,373 miles (19,913 kilometers) away in Maradi, Niger.
- The site and location of the current airport was originally known as Faleolo Airfield.