Nonstop flight route between Hofuf, Saudi Arabia and Santa Barbara, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Al-Ahsa International Airport (HOF), Hofuf, Saudi Arabia and Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), Santa Barbara, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,252 miles (or 13,281 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 Al-Ahsa International Airport and Santa Barbara 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 Al-Ahsa International Airport and Santa Barbara 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 Al-Ahsa International Airport (HOF):

• Because of Al-Ahsa International Airport's relatively low elevation of 588 feet, planes can take off or land at Al-Ahsa 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.
• In addition to being known as "Al-Ahsa International Airport", another name for HOF is "مطار الأحساء الدولي".
• Al-Ahsa International Airport (HOF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Al-Ahsa International Airport (HOF) is King Abdulaziz Air Base (DHA), which is located 79 miles (128 kilometers) NNE of HOF.
• The furthest airport from Al-Ahsa International Airport (HOF) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is nearly antipodal to Al-Ahsa International Airport (meaning Al-Ahsa International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Totegegie Airport), and is located 12,122 miles (19,509 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.

Facts about Santa Barbara Airport (SBA):

• In the 1980s Apollo Airways, a commuter airline based in Santa Barbara that changed its name to Pacific Coast Airlines, flew Handley Page HP.137 Jetstreams from the airport.
• Until 2002 Santa Barbara Airport was on a mainline jet aircraft route between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
• On August 18, 2011 the airport opened a new 72,000 square foot terminal to add to the single story terminal built by United Airlines in 1942.
• Five airlines serve the Airport as of July 2013 with non-stop flights to Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma.
• Because of Santa Barbara Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Barbara 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 Barbara Airport (SBA) has 3 runways.
• As the prospect of war escalated the United States Government established a program to construct 250 airports across the country on a cost-sharing basis with local governments.
• In the 1951 war film Flying Leathernecks, John Wayne's character was stationed in Goleta.
• The furthest airport from Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,487 miles (18,486 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The closest airport to Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is Santa Ynez Airport (SQA), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) NW of SBA.