Nonstop flight route between Hao, Tuamotu Island, French Polynesia and Ponce, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hao Airport (HOI), Hao, Tuamotu Island, French Polynesia and Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,632 miles (or 9,065 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 Hao 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 Hao 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 Hao Airport (HOI):

• Hao Airport (HOI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Hao Airport (HOI) is Port Sudan New International Airport (PZU), which is nearly antipodal to Hao Airport (meaning Hao Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Port Sudan New International Airport), and is located 12,285 miles (19,771 kilometers) away in Port Sudan, Sudan.
• The closest airport to Hao Airport (HOI) is Fangatau Airport (FGU), which is located 156 miles (251 kilometers) N of HOI.

Facts about Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• During 2007, more passengers passed through the airport than the population of the entire city of Ponce itself.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".
• On August 12, 1981, an Air Florida plane with 125 Haitian refugees aboard landed at Mercedita en route to the Fort Allen facility in Juana Diaz, part of the 1981 Haitian refugees exodus.
• The first scheduled commercial flights at Mercedita occurred in 1965 when domestic flights started.
• The takeoff/landing strip was then only 850 feet long by 50 feet wide.
• 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.
• 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.