Nonstop flight route between West Palm Beach, Florida, United States and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), West Palm Beach, Florida, United States and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,149 miles (or 5,068 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 Palm Beach County Park Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Palm Beach County Park Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA):

• The 1960s saw a decline in usage at the airport from its heyday in the 50s.
• The closest airport to Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) N of LNA.
• On June 23, 1996, the flight crew of a Carnival Airlines Boeing 727 mistook Palm Beach County Airport for Palm Beach International Airport which is about five miles to the north of Palm Beach County and also has a major east-west runway.
• A VASI system was installed on runways 9/27 and 15/33 in 1973.
• The furthest airport from Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,589 miles (18,651 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Palm Beach County Park Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Palm Beach County Park 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.
• Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) has 3 runways.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 2009 Lajes provided rescue support of shipping lanes across the Atlantic, a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations in aircraft crossing the Atlantic, and support for the USAF's continuing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• Recently, in August 2010, Portuguese news agencies advised for the termination of the F-22 Raptor plan to use Lajes as a platform for DACT training over the Atlantic Ocean.
• In 1947, the Portuguese Esquadra 41 started to operate from Lajes, equipped with Boeing SB-17, Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Douglas C-54 Skymaster and, later Sikorsky H-19.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.