Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Bologna, Italy:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ), Bologna, Italy would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,313 miles (or 6,940 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport and Bologna Guglielmo Marconi 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport and Bologna Guglielmo Marconi 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL):

• The WFF mobile range assets have been used to support rocket launches from locations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and at sea.
• Since 2001, engineers at NASA Wallops Flight Facility have been developing new range technologies, systems and approaches to improve the cost and responsiveness of launch and flight test activities, within the constraints of available funding and program schedules.
• The furthest airport from Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,785 miles (18,965 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Wallops Flight Facility Airport's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Wallops Flight Facility 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.

Facts about Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ):

• Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport handled 6,193,783 passengers last year.
• The airport has daily direct bus connection with Ferrara, Florence, Modena, Cervia and Ravenna.
• The furthest airport from Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (meaning Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,050 miles (19,392 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport", another name for BLQ is "Aeroporto di Bologna-Guglielmo Marconi".
• Because of Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport's relatively low elevation of 123 feet, planes can take off or land at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi 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.
• Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) is Forlì Airport (FRL), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) ESE of BLQ.