Nonstop flight route between West Lafayette, Indiana, United States and San José, Costa Rica:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from LAF to SJO:
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- About this route
- LAF Airport Information
- SJO Airport Information
- Facts about LAF
- Facts about SJO
- Map of Nearest Airports to LAF
- List of Nearest Airports to LAF
- Map of Furthest Airports from LAF
- List of Furthest Airports from LAF
- Map of Nearest Airports to SJO
- List of Nearest Airports to SJO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SJO
- List of Furthest Airports from SJO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Purdue University Airport (LAF), West Lafayette, Indiana, United States and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (SJO), San José, Costa Rica would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,108 miles (or 3,393 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 relatively short distance between Purdue University Airport and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | LAF / KLAF |
Airport Name: | Purdue University Airport |
Location: | West Lafayette, Indiana, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 40°24'43"N by 86°56'12"W |
Area Served: | Lafayette, Indiana |
Operator/Owner: | Purdue University |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 606 feet (185 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from LAF |
More Information: | LAF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SJO / MROC |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | San José, Costa Rica |
GPS Coordinates: | 9°59'38"N by 84°12'32"W |
Area Served: | San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago |
Operator/Owner: | Government of Costa Rica |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 3022 feet (921 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SJO |
More Information: | SJO Maps & Info |
Facts about Purdue University Airport (LAF):
- FedEx donated a 727 to Purdue, which is taxied through the airport every once in a while.
- The furthest airport from Purdue University Airport (LAF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,148 miles (17,941 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Purdue University Airport's relatively low elevation of 606 feet, planes can take off or land at Purdue University 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.
- President Ronald Reagan and Air Force One visited Purdue University Airport on April 9, 1987.
- The original hangar, now referred to as the Niswonger Hall of Aviation Technology, still stands and is used by Purdue University's department of Aviation Technology for offices, classrooms, and laboratories.
- Purdue University Airport (LAF) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Purdue University Airport (LAF) is Kentland Municipal Airport (KKT), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) NW of LAF.
Facts about Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (SJO):
- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) handled 4,257,606 passengers last year.
- The airport's main runway allows for operations of large, widebody aircraft.
- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (SJO) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)", another name for SJO is "Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría".
- Licensed taxis are available in the airport and will generally accept both colones and U.S.
- The airport was built to replace the previous one in downtown San Jose where Parque La Sabana is located today.
- The furthest airport from Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (SJO) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (meaning Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,270 miles (19,746 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- The major operator in the airport is Avianca, followed by Copa Airlines.
- The airport is hub of Sansa Airlines, and focus city airport for Copa Airlines and Avianca.
- The closest airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (SJO) is Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ), which is located only 5 miles (9 kilometers) ESE of SJO.
- Gates 13, 14, 15, and 16