Nonstop flight route between Gallup, New Mexico, United States and Ponce, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP), Gallup, New Mexico, United States and Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,844 miles (or 4,577 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 Gallup Municipal Airport and Mercedita 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 Gallup Municipal Airport and Mercedita 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 Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP):

• Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Gallup Municipal Airport's high elevation of 6,472 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GUP. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GUP a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The airport is on Historic Hwy 66.
• In 2007 and early 2008 the airport had Great Lakes Airlines non-stop flights to Phoenix, and to Denver via Farmington.
• The closest airport to Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) is St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) SSW of GUP.
• The furthest airport from Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,248 miles (18,102 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.

Facts about Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• The takeoff/landing strip was then only 850 feet long by 50 feet wide.
• The furthest airport from Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Mercedita Airport (meaning Mercedita Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,201 miles (19,636 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".
• The closest airport to Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ARE), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) NNW of PSE.
• In early 2010, members of the Ponce Chamber of Commerce strongly criticized the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and its director Alvaro Pilar Villagran after failure to execute on a legally binding agreement of November 2008, whereby the Ports Authority agreed to an investment of $8 million to build an airport drainage system needed as part of any additional expansion work.
• Mercedita Airport (PSE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Mercedita Airport's relatively low elevation of 29 feet, planes can take off or land at Mercedita 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.
• During 2007, more passengers passed through the airport than the population of the entire city of Ponce itself.
• In February 2009, Ponce mayor María Meléndez sought transfer of the airport from the Puerto Rico central government to the Ponce Municipal government amidst discontent with the bureaucracy at the central government that could be avoided if the airport was locally managed.