Nonstop flight route between Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP), Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,461 miles (or 7,179 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 Viracopos–Campinas International Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Viracopos–Campinas International Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP):

• The closest airport to Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP) is Campo dos Amarais State Airport (CPQ), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) N of VCP.
• However, recognizing the strategic importance of Viracopos for the economy, Infraero, the airport administrator in 1995 started to implement a master plan of renovations aiming at the building of a new airport, focusing its efforts on the segment of cargo transportation.
• The furthest airport from Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP) is Minami-Daito Airport (MMD), which is nearly antipodal to Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (meaning Viracopos–Campinas International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Minami-Daito Airport), and is located 12,216 miles (19,660 kilometers) away in Minami Daito, Okinawa, Japan.
• In 2012 the airport was ranked 7th in terms of transported passengers, 9th, in terms of aircraft operations, and 2nd in terms of cargo handled in Brazil, placing it amongst the busiest airports in the country.
• Being the second busiest cargo airport in Brazil, Viracopos has 77,000 square meters of cargo terminals, 1,700 square meters for animal cargo, and 1,480 cubic meters of refrigerated space.
• Viracopos–Campinas International Airport handled 8,824,074 passengers last year.
• Viracopos–Campinas International Airport (VCP) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Viracopos–Campinas International Airport", another name for VCP is "Aeroporto Internacional de Viracopos–Campinas".
• The airport is located 99 km northwest of the state capital city of São Paulo and 20 km southwest of Campinas, adjacent to the Bandeirantes-Anhanguera highway complex, which connects the capital city to the interior of São Paulo state.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• Lajes Field also played a crucial role in Cold War politics.
• 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.
• 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".
• In 2009 Lajes provided rescue support of shipping lanes across the Atlantic, a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations in aircraft crossing the Atlantic, and support for the USAF's continuing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• 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 origin of the Lajes Field dates back to 1928, when Portuguese Army Lieutenant colonel Eduardo Gomes da Silva wrote a report on the possible construction of an airfield in the plainland of Lajes, for that branch's aviation service.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• 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.
• The base also supports other NATO and non-NATO armed forces assets crossing the Atlantic for transport, VIP, exercise, relief or humanitarian duties.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.