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

Arrival Airport:

Distance from YOW to NHT:
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- About this route
- YOW Airport Information
- NHT Airport Information
- Facts about YOW
- Facts about NHT
- 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 NHT
- List of Nearest Airports to NHT
- Map of Furthest Airports from NHT
- List of Furthest Airports from NHT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,321 miles (or 5,345 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 Northolt, 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 Northolt. 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: | NHT / EGWU |
Airport Name: | RAF Northolt |
Location: | Ruislip, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°33'11"N by 0°25'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from NHT |
More Information: | NHT Maps & Info |
Facts about Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW):
- On May 19, 1967, an Air Canada Douglas DC-8 on a training flight from Montreal crashed on approach to the Ottawa airport, killing all three crew members.
- During the 1950s, while the airport was still named Uplands and a joint-use civilian/military field, it was the busiest airport in Canada by takeoffs and landings, reaching a peak of 307,079 aircraft movements in 1959, nearly double its current traffic.
- 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.
- On June 13, 1997, a North American Airlines Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner struck the runway with gear retracted during a botched approach, resulting in propellor strikes and a fire in one engine when it came to rest on runway 25.
- OC Transpo bus route 97 provides frequent express service to downtown along a dedicated transitway with connections to the O-Train and other bus stations.
- Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) has 3 runways.
- 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.
- The 2010 Airport Service Quality Award for Best Airport in the World for the 2–5 million passengers category went to Ottawa Airport.
Facts about RAF Northolt (NHT):
- Attention was high again in 2001 when Ronnie Biggs, the seriously ill, fugitive Great Train Robber, was flown from Brazil to the airfield to be arrested by waiting police officers.
- Starting in 1946 the airfield was used by civil aviation during the construction of nearby Heathrow Airport.
- The furthest airport from RAF Northolt (NHT) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,871 miles (19,105 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The remains of a Hawker Hurricane flown by Flying Officer Ludwik Witold Paszkiewicz, the first pilot in No. 303 Squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft, were donated to the station in June 2008.
- In December 1946, after taking off during a heavy snowstorm, a Douglas DC-3 operated by British European Airways, flying from Northolt to Glasgow, crashed onto the roof of a house in South Ruislip.
- Following Louis Blériot's first flight across the English Channel in 1909, the British Army considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack.
- In 1916, No. 43 Squadron was formed under the command of Major Sholto Douglas.
- In August 1996, a Spanish Learjet operated by Mar Aviation overshot runway 25 and collided with a van heading eastward on the A40 Western Avenue.
- During 1952 a total of 50,000 air movements were recorded per annum, making the airfield the busiest in Europe.
- The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.
- The outbreak of the First World War necessitated a new aerodrome for the Royal Flying Corps.