Nonstop flight route between Arequipa, Peru and Santa Maria, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP), Arequipa, Peru and Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,775 miles (or 7,684 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 Rodríguez Ballón International Airport and Santa Maria Public 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 Rodríguez Ballón International Airport and Santa Maria Public 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 Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP):

• The furthest airport from Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) is Đà Nẵng International Airport (DAD), which is nearly antipodal to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (meaning Rodríguez Ballón International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Đà Nẵng International Airport), and is located 12,412 miles (19,975 kilometers) away in Da Nang, Vietnam.
• Because of Rodríguez Ballón International Airport's high elevation of 8,405 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at AQP. Combined with a high temperature, this could make AQP a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The airport is currently operated by the consortium "Aeropuertos Andinos", who reshuffled and modernized the existing facilities.
• Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) is Ilo Airport (ILQ), which is located 95 miles (153 kilometers) S of AQP.

Facts about Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):

• Besides the current Allegiant jet service, SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express via a code sharing agreement with United Airlines flies Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops and sometimes Bombardier CRJ-200 Regional Jet nonstop to Los Angeles that served the airport for many years.
• Other enhancements include a new passenger terminal holding room that opened February 2008.
• Because of Santa Maria Public Airport's relatively low elevation of 261 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria Public 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.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SSW of SMX.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• At one point during the early 1980's Swift Aire Lines, which was based at the nearby San Luis Obispo Airport, was the only airline flying nonstop between Santa Maria and Los Angeles, primarily with Fokker F27 Friendship turboprops which the carrier had purchased new from the manufacturer.
• The furthest airport from Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,466 miles (18,453 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The extended primary runway at Santa Maria is paved to 8,004 feet, giving the airport the longest civil runway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the central coast and Vandenberg AFB's runway are longer).