Nonstop flight route between Mbuji Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mbuji Mayi Airport (MJM), Mbuji Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,622 miles (or 5,830 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 Mbuji Mayi Airport and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, 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 Mbuji Mayi Airport and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base. 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 Mbuji Mayi Airport (MJM):

• The closest airport to Mbuji Mayi Airport (MJM) is Gandajika Airport (GDJ), which is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) SSE of MJM.
• Mbuji Mayi Airport (MJM) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Mbuji Mayi Airport (MJM) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is nearly antipodal to Mbuji Mayi Airport (meaning Mbuji Mayi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cassidy International Airport), and is located 12,144 miles (19,544 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
• In addition to being known as "Mbuji Mayi Airport", another name for MJM is "Mbuji Mayi Airport".

Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• Because of Istres-Le Tubé Air Base's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base 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 airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) ESE of QIE.
• The furthest airport from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (meaning Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco for air transport of personnel back to the United States.
• On 31 March 1992, a Boeing 707 of Kabo Air, a Nigerian company, made an emergency landing at Istres after engines 3 and 4 had separated from the wing in turbulence at 35,000 feet.
• In addition to being known as "Istres-Le Tubé Air Base", another name for QIE is "Base aérienne 125 Istres (BA 125)Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-17".