Nonstop flight route between Kerikeri, New Zealand and Ponce, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kerikeri Airport (KKE), Kerikeri, New Zealand and Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,577 miles (or 13,803 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 Kerikeri 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 Kerikeri 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 Kerikeri Airport (KKE):

• The airport was initially a grass airstrip created in the early 1930s.
• Kerikeri Airport (KKE) has 3 runways.
• In 1972, Mount Cook Airlines decided to use the airport to connect to tourist resorts.
• The furthest airport from Kerikeri Airport (KKE) is Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG), which is nearly antipodal to Kerikeri Airport (meaning Kerikeri Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport), and is located 12,403 miles (19,961 kilometers) away in Tangier, Morocco.
• The closest airport to Kerikeri Airport (KKE) is Kaikohe Aerodrome (KKO), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) SSW of KKE.
• Because of Kerikeri Airport's relatively low elevation of 492 feet, planes can take off or land at Kerikeri 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.

Facts about Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• The airport is also home of the southern aerial division of the Puerto Rico Police Department.
• Passenger movement at the airport in FY 2008 was 278,911, a 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all the regional airports for that 5-year period.
• 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.
• 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 addition to being known as "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".
• 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.
• 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.
• The first scheduled commercial flights at Mercedita occurred in 1965 when domestic flights started.
• During 2007, more passengers passed through the airport than the population of the entire city of Ponce itself.