Nonstop flight route between Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa and San Bernardino, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from APW to SBD:
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- About this route
- APW Airport Information
- SBD Airport Information
- Facts about APW
- Facts about SBD
- Map of Nearest Airports to APW
- List of Nearest Airports to APW
- Map of Furthest Airports from APW
- List of Furthest Airports from APW
- Map of Nearest Airports to SBD
- List of Nearest Airports to SBD
- Map of Furthest Airports from SBD
- List of Furthest Airports from SBD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Faleolo International Airport (APW), Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa and Norton Air Force Base (SBD), San Bernardino, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,888 miles (or 7,866 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 Faleolo International Airport and Norton Air Force 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 Faleolo International Airport and Norton Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | APW / NSFA |
Airport Name: | Faleolo International Airport |
Location: | Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa |
GPS Coordinates: | 13°49'46"S by 172°0'29"W |
Area Served: | Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 58 feet (18 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from APW |
More Information: | APW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SBD / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | San Bernardino, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°5'43"N by 117°14'5"W |
View all routes: | Routes from SBD |
More Information: | SBD Maps & Info |
Facts about Faleolo International Airport (APW):
- The site and location of the current airport was originally known as Faleolo Airfield.
- Because of Faleolo International Airport's relatively low elevation of 58 feet, planes can take off or land at Faleolo 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 furthest airport from Faleolo International Airport (APW) is Maradi Airport (MFQ), which is nearly antipodal to Faleolo International Airport (meaning Faleolo International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maradi Airport), and is located 12,373 miles (19,913 kilometers) away in Maradi, Niger.
- Faleolo Tower has some jurisdiction over the airspace of American Samoa and Tonga as well as its own airspace.
- Faleolo International Airport (APW) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Faleolo International Airport (APW) is Maota (Salelologa) Airport (MXS), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) WNW of APW.
- Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737.
Facts about Norton Air Force Base (SBD):
- Norton Air Force Base was named for San Bernardino native Captain Leland Francis Norton.
- In 1950, Air Defense Command activated the 27th Air Division at Norton AFB, being assigned to the Western Air Defense Force.
- The closest airport to Norton Air Force Base (SBD) is San Bernardino International Airport (SBT), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) S of SBD.
- In the 1960s, Norton expanded its depot support mission by supporting Titan and Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles s, with depot-level logistical support.
- LAADS was inactivated on 1 April 1966 and the designation was returned as the 27th Air Division, being stationed at Luke AFB, Arizona under Fourth Air Force as part of a consolidation with the inactivating Phoenix Air Defense Sector.
- The furthest airport from Norton Air Force Base (SBD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,447 miles (18,423 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- Major secondary missions of Norton Air Force Base was as Headquarters Air Defense Command for Southern California, during the 1950s and 1960s.
- In addition to being known as "Norton Air Force Base", another name for SBD is "Norton AFB".