Nonstop flight route between Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States and Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO), Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States and Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ), Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,712 miles (or 14,020 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 Altoona–Blair County Airport and Kapiti Coast 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 Altoona–Blair County Airport and Kapiti Coast 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 Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO):

• The closest airport to Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO) is John Murtha Johnstown–Cambria County Airport (JST), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) W of AOO.
• US Airways ended flights to Pittsburgh on July 7, 2007.
• The furthest airport from Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,578 miles (18,633 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO) has 2 runways.
• Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 11,051 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 6,439 in 2009 and 4,378 in 2010.

Facts about Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ):

• Re-development proposals involve closing 11/29, with a parallel grass runway as the only crosswind runway.
• As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but a decision was made to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site.
• New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority has recently approved the airport after identifying approach obstruction issues.
• The closest airport to Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Wellington International Airport (WLG), which is located 31 miles (49 kilometers) SSW of PPQ.
• In 1949 a Lockheed Lodestar from Whenuapai crashed into the Tararua Range.
• Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing flightpaths.
• The furthest airport from Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM), which is nearly antipodal to Kapiti Coast Airport (meaning Kapiti Coast Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salamanca-Matacán Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Salamanca, Spain.
• Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) has 3 runways.
• Because of Kapiti Coast Airport's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Kapiti Coast 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.