Nonstop flight route between Gondar, Ethiopia and Santa Maria, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ), Gondar, Ethiopia and Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,855 miles (or 14,250 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 Gondar Atse Tewodros 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 Gondar Atse Tewodros 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 Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ):

• In addition to being known as "Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport", another name for GDQ is "የጎንደር ዓፄ ቴዎድሮስ የአየር ማረፊያ".
• The closest airport to Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ) is Debre Tabor Airport (DBT), which is located 59 miles (94 kilometers) SE of GDQ.
• Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport's high elevation of 6,542 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GDQ. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GDQ a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ) is Raroia Airport (RRR), which is nearly antipodal to Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (meaning Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Raroia Airport), and is located 12,193 miles (19,623 kilometers) away in Raroia, French Polynesia.

Facts about Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):

• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Allegiant Air has expanded flights between Las Vegas and Santa Maria with four nonstops per week each way.