Nonstop flight route between Valenciennes, France and Midland/Bay City/Saginaw, Michigan, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS), Valenciennes, France and MBS International Airport (MBS), Midland/Bay City/Saginaw, Michigan, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,913 miles (or 6,297 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 MBS 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 MBS 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Valenciennes-Denain Airport (XVS) is Lille Airport (LIL), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NW of XVS.
• In French control after the war, the airport sat abandoned for several years.
• In addition, a reconnaissance unit, Aufklärungsgruppe 12 was assigned to Denain in October 1940 with Henschel Hs 126 twin-seat light observation planes.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Valenciennes-Denain Airport", another name for XVS is "(Advanced Landing Ground A-83/B-74)".
• It was seized by the Germans in late May 1940 during the early part of the Battle of France.
• Denain Airport was cleared of German forces by Allied ground forces about 11 September 1944 during the Northern France Campaign.
• It is known that Denain was used by the Royal Air Force, as it was assigned ALG "B-74".
• 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.

Facts about MBS International Airport (MBS):

• Delta Air Lines merged with Northwest Airlines.
• Until October 1, 2009, Mesaba Airlines ran ground services for Delta Connection.
• MBS International Airport (MBS) has 2 runways.
• 2006 enplanements were 200,150 boardings, a 6.33% drop from the previous year.
• The closest airport to MBS International Airport (MBS) is Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport (MOP), which is located 33 miles (54 kilometers) W of MBS.
• The furthest airport from MBS International Airport (MBS) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,213 miles (18,046 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of MBS International Airport's relatively low elevation of 668 feet, planes can take off or land at MBS 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 commercial airport is a special municipal body owned by Bay County and the cities of Midland and Saginaw.
• Air Wisconsin runs ground services for United Express.