Nonstop flight route between Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States and Mascot (near Sydney), Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO), Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States and Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD), Mascot (near Sydney), Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,710 miles (or 15,627 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 Sydney (Kingsford Smith) 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 Sydney (Kingsford Smith) 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):

• 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.
• Altoona–Blair County Airport (AOO) has 2 runways.
• 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.
• 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 houses the Kitty Hawk Restaurant, which is accessible either from the flight line or from the terminal building.

Facts about Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD):

• The furthest airport from Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) is Santa Maria Airport (SMA), which is nearly antipodal to Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (meaning Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Santa Maria Airport), and is located 12,144 miles (19,543 kilometers) away in Santa Maria, Portugal.
• Sydney Airport had a fourth passenger terminal, east of Terminal 2.
• In 2002, the Australian Government sold Sydney Airports Corporation Limited, the management authority for the airport, to Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings Ltd.
• In March 2010, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a report sharply critical of price gouging at Sydney airport, ranking it fifth out of five airports.
• In addition to being known as "Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport", another name for SYD is "Kingsford-Smith Airport".
• Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) has 3 runways.
• The closest airport to Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) is Bankstown Airport (BWU), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) W of SYD.
• The Federal Government has bought most of the required land in a proposed site at Badgerys Creek, west of Sydney.
• The "third runway" which the Commonwealth government commenced development of in 1989 and completed in 1994, remained controversial because of increased aircraftmovements, especially over many inner suburbs.
• Because of Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport's relatively low elevation of 21 feet, planes can take off or land at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) 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.