Nonstop flight route between Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom and Santa Maria, Portugal:
Departure Airport:
(51°23'48"N by 3°20'35"W)
Arrival Airport:
(36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W)
Distance from CWL to SMA:
1,460.13 miles (2,349.85 km)
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- About this route
- CWL Airport Information
- SMA Airport Information
- Facts about CWL
- Facts about SMA
- Map of Nearest Airports to CWL
- List of Nearest Airports to CWL
- Map of Furthest Airports from CWL
- List of Furthest Airports from CWL
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMA
- List of Nearest Airports to SMA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMA
- List of Furthest Airports from SMA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Cardiff Airport (CWL), Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom and Santa Maria Airport (SMA), Santa Maria, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,460 miles (or 2,350 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 relatively short distance between Cardiff Airport and Santa Maria Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | CWL / EGFF |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 51°23'48"N by 3°20'35"W |
| Area Served: | Cardiff South Wales Mid Wales West Wales |
| Operator/Owner: | Welsh Government |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 220 feet (67 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from CWL |
| More Information: | CWL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMA / LPAZ |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Santa Maria, Portugal |
| GPS Coordinates: | 36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W |
| Area Served: | Vila do Porto |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Portugal |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 308 feet (94 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMA |
| More Information: | SMA Maps & Info |
Facts about Cardiff Airport (CWL):
- In addition to being known as "Cardiff Airport", another name for CWL is "Maes Awyr Caerdydd".
- In 2007 a new airline was mooted as a new home carrier at the airport.
- In early December 2013 Flybe announced it would drop its Paris and Glasgow services with effect from January 2014.
- Because of Cardiff Airport's relatively low elevation of 220 feet, planes can take off or land at Cardiff 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.
- Cardiff Airport is an international airport owned by the Welsh Government, serving Cardiff and the rest of South, Mid and West Wales.
- Cardiff Airport (CWL) currently has only 1 runway.
- On 1 April 1965 the Ministry of Aviation handed over the airport to Glamorgan County Council and it was renamed Glamorgan Airport.
- The furthest airport from Cardiff Airport (CWL) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,958 miles (19,244 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to Cardiff Airport (CWL) is MoD St Athan (DGX), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) W of CWL.
- Cardiff Airport handled 1,072,062 passengers last year.
Facts about Santa Maria Airport (SMA):
- The airport at Santa Maria was part of a larger complex of buildings and infrastructures constructed in the 20th century.
- Along with the airports in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Flores, Horta, Ponta Delgada and Beja, the airport's concessions to provide support to civil aviation was conceded to ANA Aeroportos de Portugal on 18 December 1998, under provisions of decree 404/98.
- The furthest airport from Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is Moruya Airport (MYA), which is nearly antipodal to Santa Maria Airport (meaning Santa Maria Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Moruya Airport), and is located 12,166 miles (19,579 kilometers) away in Moruya, New South Wales, Australia.
- Santa Maria Airport (SMA) currently has only 1 runway.
- The forerunner of SATA Air Açores initiated services concurrently to São Miguel and Terceira from Santa Maria Airport on 5 August 1947, using a plane christened "Açor".
- A chartered Boeing 707-300, Independent Air Flight 1851 from Bergamo, Italy in 1989 crashed on approach to Santa Maria Airport, when it struck the Pico Alto mountain.
- Santa Maria Airport handled 93,436 passengers last year.
- Because of Santa Maria Airport's relatively low elevation of 308 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria 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.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Airport", another name for SMA is "Aeroporto de Santa Maria".
- For a while, Air France's supersonic Concordes were routed to Santa Maria on refueling layovers between Paris and Caracas.
- The closest airport to Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is João Paulo II Airport (PDL), which is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) NNW of SMA.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 4.03 miles (6.48 km) W | MoD St Athan (DGX) | St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom |     |
| 2 | 26.93 miles (43.34 km) E | Bristol Airport (BRS) | Bristol, England, United Kingdom | |
| 3 | 33.37 miles (53.71 km) ENE | Bristol Filton Airport (FZO) | Filton, Bristol, United Kingdom | |
| 4 | 34.33 miles (55.25 km) WNW | Swansea Airport (SWS) | Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom | |
| 5 | 45.86 miles (73.80 km) S | Exeter International Airport (EXT) | Exeter, United Kingdom | |
| 6 | 58.61 miles (94.32 km) E | RAF Lyneham (LYE) | Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 7 | 69.61 miles (112.02 km) ENE | RAF Fairford (FFD) | Fairford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 8 | 75.04 miles (120.77 km) SSW | Plymouth City Airport (PLH) | Plymouth, United Kingdom | |
| 9 | 75.67 miles (121.78 km) WNW | Haverfordwest Aerodrome (HAW) | Haverfordwest, Wales, United Kingdom | |
| 10 | 77.83 miles (125.26 km) ESE | Bournemouth Airport (BOH) | Bournemouth, England, United Kingdom | |
| 11 | 79.41 miles (127.80 km) ENE | RAF Brize Norton (BZZ) | Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| 12 | 91.42 miles (147.12 km) ESE | Southampton Airport (SOU) | Eastleigh (near Southampton), England, United Kingdom | |
| 13 | 91.98 miles (148.02 km) ENE | Oxford Airport (OXF) | Oxford, England, United Kingdom | |
| 14 | 97.66 miles (157.17 km) SW | Newquay Cornwall Airport (NQY) | Newquay, England, United Kingdom | |
| 15 | 97.84 miles (157.45 km) E | RAF Benson (BEX) | Benson, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,957.99 miles (19,244.47 km) SE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,941.33 miles (19,217.67 km) SE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,925.31 miles (19,191.89 km) SE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,924.18 miles (19,190.06 km) SSE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,894.52 miles (19,142.33 km) SE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,886.11 miles (19,128.80 km) SSE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,872.11 miles (19,106.26 km) SSE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,865.67 miles (19,095.90 km) SE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,863.17 miles (19,091.87 km) SE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,857.70 miles (19,083.07 km) SSE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,837.23 miles (19,050.13 km) SSE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,828.86 miles (19,036.66 km) SSE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,822.85 miles (19,026.99 km) SW | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,822.35 miles (19,026.18 km) SE | Milford Sound Airport (MFN) | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,807.49 miles (19,002.27 km) SSE | Fox Glacier Aerodrome (FGL) | Fox Glacier, New Zealand | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 60.44 miles (97.26 km) NNW | João Paulo II Airport (PDL) | Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal | |
| 2 | 161.94 miles (260.61 km) NW | Lajes Air Base (TER) | Lajes, Azores, Portugal | |
| 3 | 209.34 miles (336.90 km) WNW | Pico Airport (PIX) | Pico Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 4 | 213.54 miles (343.67 km) NW | Graciosa Airport (GRW) | Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 5 | 221.17 miles (355.94 km) WNW | Horta International Airport (HOR) | Horta, Azores, Portugal | |
| 6 | 366.19 miles (589.32 km) WNW | Flores Airport (FLW) | Flores Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 7 | 371.97 miles (598.63 km) WNW | Corvo Airport (CVU) | Corvo Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 8 | 560.01 miles (901.25 km) ESE | Madeira Airport (FNC) | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 9 | 566.98 miles (912.46 km) ESE | Porto Santo Airport (PXO) | Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 10 | 719.25 miles (1,157.51 km) SE | La Palma Airport (SPC) | La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 11 | 771.87 miles (1,242.20 km) SE | La Gomera Airport (GMZ) | Alajeró / San Sebastián, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 12 | 778.68 miles (1,253.16 km) SE | Tenerife North Airport (TFN) | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 13 | 793.97 miles (1,277.77 km) SE | Tenerife-South Airport (TFS) | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 14 | 844.99 miles (1,359.87 km) SE | Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) | Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 15 | 869.00 miles (1,398.51 km) SE | Lanzarote Airport (ACE) | Arrecife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,166.03 miles (19,579.28 km) ESE | Moruya Airport (MYA) | Moruya, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 2 | 12,164.68 miles (19,577.11 km) E | Merimbula Airport (MIM) | Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 3 | 12,155.61 miles (19,562.50 km) SE | Illawarra Regional Airport (WOL) | Shellharbour, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 4 | 12,143.59 miles (19,543.17 km) SE | Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) | Mascot (near Sydney), Australia | |
| 5 | 12,135.02 miles (19,529.37 km) SE | Bankstown Airport (BWU) | Bankstown (near Sydney), New South Wales, Australia | |
| 6 | 12,128.04 miles (19,518.13 km) SE | Camden Aerodrome (CDU) | Camden, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 7 | 12,113.81 miles (19,495.24 km) ESE | Goulburn Airport (GUL) | Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 8 | 12,112.40 miles (19,492.97 km) SE | Belmont Airport (BEO) | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 9 | 12,102.07 miles (19,476.35 km) ESE | Canberra Airport (CBR) | Canberra, Australia | |
| 10 | 12,101.93 miles (19,476.12 km) SSE | Newcastle Airport (NTL) | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 11 | 12,086.58 miles (19,451.41 km) SE | Cessnock Airport (CES) | Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 12 | 12,086.22 miles (19,450.83 km) SSE | Maitland Airport (MTL) | Maitland, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 13 | 12,054.69 miles (19,400.10 km) SE | Bathurst Airport (BHS) | Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 14 | 12,047.90 miles (19,389.17 km) E | Corryong Airport (CYG) | Corryong, Victoria, Australia | |
| 15 | 12,038.04 miles (19,373.30 km) SSE | Port Macquarie Airport (PQQ) | Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia | |