Nonstop flight route between Carlsbad, California, United States and Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between McClellan–Palomar Airport (CLD), Carlsbad, California, United States and Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN), Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,275 miles (or 16,537 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 McClellan–Palomar Airport and Bloemfontein International 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 McClellan–Palomar Airport and Bloemfontein International 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 McClellan–Palomar Airport (CLD):

• It opened a $24 million airline terminal on January 29, 2009.
• Previous airline service to the airport includes American Eagle to Los Angeles and America West Express to Phoenix.
• The furthest airport from McClellan–Palomar Airport (CLD) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,512 miles (18,527 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• McClellan–Palomar Airport (CLD) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of McClellan–Palomar Airport's relatively low elevation of 331 feet, planes can take off or land at McClellan–Palomar 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 closest airport to McClellan–Palomar Airport (CLD) is Bob Maxwell Field (Oceanside Municipal Airport) (OCN), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) NNW of CLD.
• In addition to being known as "McClellan–Palomar Airport", another name for CLD is "CRQ".
• The airport is named for Gerald McClellan, an aviator and civic leader in San Diego's North County area.

Facts about Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN):

• Bloemfontein Airport is located in Bloemfontein, a city in the Free State province of South Africa.
• In 2012, the airport served 426,420 passengers.
• The closest airport to Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) is Mafeteng Airport (MFC), which is located 75 miles (120 kilometers) SE of BFN.
• The furthest airport from Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,855 miles (19,079 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
• Because of Bloemfontein International Airport's high elevation of 4,457 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at BFN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make BFN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) has 2 runways.
• South African Express is the operator with the most scheduled flights to Bloemfontein.