Nonstop flight route between Valenciennes, France and Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS), Valenciennes, France and Chennault International Airport (CWF), Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,913 miles (or 7,906 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 Valenciennes-Denain Airport and Chennault 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 Valenciennes-Denain Airport and Chennault 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 Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS):

• Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) currently has only 1 runway.
• After the construction of a military airfield at Denain, the airfield was reactivated by the Luftwaffe, stationing Jagdgeschwader 3, a day fighter-interceptor unit assigned to the "Defense of the Reich" campaign against the American Eighth Air Force heavy bombers attacking targets in Occupied Europe and Germany.
• The wartime air base is still evident with the 5500' concrete NE/SW runway remaining, complete with patched bomb craters and expansion joints allowing grass to grow between the concrete pads.
• In addition to being known as "Valenciennes-Denain Airport", another name for XVS is "(Advanced Landing Ground A-83/B-74)".
• The furthest airport from Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,987 miles (19,291 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Valenciennes-Denain Airport's relatively low elevation of 177 feet, planes can take off or land at Valenciennes-Denain 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 Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) is Lille Airport (LIL), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NW of XVS.
• It supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled.
• Denain Airport was cleared of German forces by Allied ground forces about 11 September 1944 during the Northern France Campaign.

Facts about Chennault International Airport (CWF):

• Chennault International Airport covers an area of 1,310 acres at an elevation of 17 feet above mean sea level.
• Because of Chennault International Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Chennault 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 site was officially designated by NASA as an alternative landing site for the Space Shuttle.
• It was previously Chennault Air Force Base and before that, Lake Charles Air Force Base' and Lake Charles Army Air Field, and as such, was home to the now inactivated 44th Bombardment Wing in the 1950s and 1960s.
• While a fully operational airport, it is an industrial center and provides no commercial air services.
• Chennault International Airport (CWF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Chennault International Airport (CWF) is Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) SW of CWF.
• The furthest airport from Chennault International Airport (CWF) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,037 miles (17,763 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.