Nonstop flight route between Maamigili, Maldives and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Villa International Airport (VAM), Maamigili, Maldives and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,374 miles (or 8,649 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 Villa International Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Villa International Airport and RAF Fairford. 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 Villa International Airport (VAM):

• Because of Villa International Airport's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at Villa 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 airport resides at an elevation of 6 feet above mean sea level.
• Villa International Airport (VAM) currently has only 1 runway.
• Maamigili Airport, March 2013
• Maamigili Airport Airside, March 2013
• The closest airport to Villa International Airport (VAM) is Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (MLE), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) NE of VAM.
• The furthest airport from Villa International Airport (VAM) is Seymour Airport (GPS), which is located 11,252 miles (18,108 kilometers) away in Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
• RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.
• In the early years of the Cold War the British and American governments reached an agreement under which elements of the USAF Strategic Air Command would be based in the UK.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.