Nonstop flight route between Hat Yai, Songkhla Province, Thailand and Ponce, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hat Yai International Airport (HDY), Hat Yai, Songkhla Province, Thailand and Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,497 miles (or 16,894 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 Hat Yai International 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 Hat Yai International 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 Hat Yai International Airport (HDY):

• In addition to being known as "Hat Yai International Airport", another name for HDY is "ท่าอากาศยานหาดใหญ่".
• The furthest airport from Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) is Cap. FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport (CIX), which is nearly antipodal to Hat Yai International Airport (meaning Hat Yai International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap. FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport), and is located 12,419 miles (19,986 kilometers) away in Chiclayo, Peru.
• Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) currently has only 1 runway.
• Hat Yai International Airport handled 2,465,370 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) is Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR), which is located 51 miles (82 kilometers) S of HDY.
• Because of Hat Yai International Airport's relatively low elevation of 90 feet, planes can take off or land at Hat Yai 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.
• During the 2005 Songkhla bombings, a bomb planted at the departure lounge by Pattani separatists exploded on April 3, 2005, killing one passenger and injuring 10.

Facts about Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• The closest airport to Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ARE), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) NNW of PSE.
• Mercedita Airport (PSE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Built in 1939, Mercedita was originally a modest aerodrome used for the airborne irrigation of sugarcane fields belonging to Destilería Serrallés.
• 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.
• After Ponce's mayor Rafael Cordero signed a contract to build a major seaport in the area, Mercedita's directors decided to expand the airport's runway to 8,000 ft to accommodate anticipated growth in airline traffic.
• In addition to being known as "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".
• Realtime departures and arrivals information is available online.
• 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 1949, however, it was determined that the runway of the Ponce Airport at the nearby Losey Field no longer met the newer and more stringent minimum airport safety requirements, and airport operations were suspended.