Nonstop flight route between Valence, France and Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from VAF to MAT:
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- About this route
- VAF Airport Information
- MAT Airport Information
- Facts about VAF
- Facts about MAT
- 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 MAT
- List of Nearest Airports to MAT
- Map of Furthest Airports from MAT
- List of Furthest Airports from MAT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF), Valence, France and Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT), Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,543 miles (or 5,702 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 Tshimpi Airport (Matadi 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 Tshimpi Airport (Matadi 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: |
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| 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: | MAT / FZAM |
| Airport Name: | Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) |
| Location: | Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| GPS Coordinates: | 5°47'53"S by 13°26'30"E |
| Elevation: | 0 feet (0 meters) |
| View all routes: | Routes from MAT |
| More Information: | MAT Maps & Info |
Facts about Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF):
- 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.
- 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.
- Today the airport is a modern, fully equipped facility with two additional parallel grass runways available for use.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) is Grenoble–Isère Airport (GNB), which is located 36 miles (57 kilometers) NNE of 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.
- Used by the French Air Force base after the war, it was closed and today the airport is used for general aviation, with no commercial airline service.
Facts about Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT):
- Because of Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport)'s relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Tshimpi Airport (Matadi 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 Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT) is Boma Airport (BOA), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) W of MAT.
- The furthest airport from Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is located 11,750 miles (18,909 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
