Nonstop flight route between Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from YOW to FFD:
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- About this route
- YOW Airport Information
- FFD Airport Information
- Facts about YOW
- Facts about FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to YOW
- List of Nearest Airports to YOW
- Map of Furthest Airports from YOW
- List of Furthest Airports from YOW
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,264 miles (or 5,253 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 Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport and RAF Fairford. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | YOW / CYOW |
Airport Name: | Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport |
Location: | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 45°19'20"N by 75°40'1"W |
Area Served: | Ottawa, Ontario |
Operator/Owner: | Transport Canada |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 374 feet (114 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from YOW |
More Information: | YOW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFD / EGVA |
Airport Name: | RAF Fairford |
Location: | Fairford, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from FFD |
More Information: | FFD Maps & Info |
Facts about Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW):
- Because of Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport's relatively low elevation of 374 feet, planes can take off or land at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier 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 closest airport to Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport (YRO), which is located only 10 miles (15 kilometers) N of YOW.
- Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) has 3 runways.
- The north field is still popular for general aviation, although only one of its runways, 04/22, is still in use.
- The furthest airport from Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,465 miles (18,451 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Non-stop and same-plane freighter flights
- The 2010 Airport Service Quality Award for Best Airport in the World for the 2–5 million passengers category went to Ottawa Airport.
- On July 1, 1990, a P-51 Mustang crashed on the Hylands Golf Course during the National Capital Airshow, killing the pilot, Harry Tope.
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
- The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.