Nonstop flight route between Vatry, France and Port Elizabeth, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR), Vatry, France and Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,868 miles (or 9,444 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 Châlons Vatry Airport and Port Elizabeth 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 Châlons Vatry Airport and Port Elizabeth International 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 Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR):

• For many years, Vatry Air Base was under the control of the French Air Force and used for a training facility.
• The closest airport to Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) is Troyes - Barberey Airport (QYR), which is located 32 miles (52 kilometers) SSW of XCR.
• Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Construction began in 1953, and Vatry Air Base was designed for 50 fighters with three large hangars constructed.
• The furthest airport from Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Châlons Vatry Airport (meaning Châlons Vatry Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,092 miles (19,461 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Châlons Vatry Airport's relatively low elevation of 586 feet, planes can take off or land at Châlons Vatry 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.
• Châlons Vatry Airport's origins began in 1950 when, with the Cold War, NATO faced several problems when attempting to solve the air power survival equation.

Facts about Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ):

• Because of Port Elizabeth International Airport's relatively low elevation of 226 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Elizabeth 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 furthest airport from Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,567 miles (18,615 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
• 1 February 2008 - King Abdullah II of Jordan's Airbus A340-200 landed at Port Elizabeth as he makes his way down the Garden Route to Cape Town on a Harley-Davidson motorbike.
• During World War II, the airfield was extended to accommodate 42 Air School for the Royal Air Force and 6 Squadron South African Air Force on the southern and eastern sides of the field.
• In preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup runway 08/26 was going to be extended from 1,980m to 3,000m with a view to accommodating International flights, although this never happened.
• The closest airport to Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 79 miles (127 kilometers) ENE of PLZ.
• In 2013, the airport served 1,269,634 passengers.
• Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) has 2 runways.