Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Atwater, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GFK to MER:
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- About this route
- GFK Airport Information
- MER Airport Information
- Facts about GFK
- Facts about MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to GFK
- List of Nearest Airports to GFK
- Map of Furthest Airports from GFK
- List of Furthest Airports from GFK
- Map of Nearest Airports to MER
- List of Nearest Airports to MER
- Map of Furthest Airports from MER
- List of Furthest Airports from MER
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,386 miles (or 2,231 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 Grand Forks International Airport and Castle Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GFK / KGFK |
Airport Name: | Grand Forks International Airport |
Location: | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°56'57"N by 97°10'33"W |
Operator/Owner: | Grand Forks Regional Airport Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 845 feet (258 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from GFK |
More Information: | GFK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MER / KMER |
Airport Name: | Castle Airport |
Location: | Atwater, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°22'50"N by 120°34'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation, and Economic Development |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 191 feet (58 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MER |
More Information: | MER Maps & Info |
Facts about Grand Forks International Airport (GFK):
- The new passenger terminal, designed by JLG Architects, is a two story building, with Delta and Allegiant ticketing counters, baggage claim carousel, and several rental car agencies.
- Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) has 4 runways.
- Because of Grand Forks International Airport's relatively low elevation of 845 feet, planes can take off or land at Grand Forks 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 now closed original passenger terminal at GFK was built in 1964.
- The furthest airport from Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,514 miles (16,921 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) is Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) W of GFK.
- Due to the increased amount of general aviation traffic, primarily from the UND Aerospace flight training school, a fourth runway has been completed on the southeast side of the airport.
- On November 9, 2010 KGFK had 100,570 boardings, one more than the record achieved in 12 months in 1994.
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- Castle Airport covers an area of 1,360 acres which contains one runway with an 11,802 x 150 ft asphalt and concrete pavement.
- The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Castle Airport's relatively low elevation of 191 feet, planes can take off or land at Castle 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 Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- The EPA currently has this base listed on their database due to the bulk wastes such as solvents, oils, fuels, and sludges which were disposed in pits at landfills around the base until 1977.