Nonstop flight route between Leeuwarden, Netherlands and Santa Maria, Portugal:
Departure Airport:
(53°13'42"N by 5°45'38"E)
Arrival Airport:
(36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W)
Distance from LWR to SMA:
1,856.74 miles (2,988.13 km)
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- LWR Airport Information
- SMA Airport Information
- Facts about LWR
- Facts about SMA
- Map of Nearest Airports to LWR
- List of Nearest Airports to LWR
- Map of Furthest Airports from LWR
- List of Furthest Airports from LWR
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMA
- List of Nearest Airports to SMA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMA
- List of Furthest Airports from SMA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Leeuwarden Air Base (LWR), Leeuwarden, Netherlands and Santa Maria Airport (SMA), Santa Maria, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,857 miles (or 2,988 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 Leeuwarden Air Base and Santa Maria Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LWR / EHLW |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Leeuwarden, Netherlands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 53°13'42"N by 5°45'38"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Military of the Netherlands |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 3 feet (1 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from LWR |
| More Information: | LWR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMA / LPAZ |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Santa Maria, Portugal |
| GPS Coordinates: | 36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W |
| Area Served: | Vila do Porto |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Portugal |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 308 feet (94 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMA |
| More Information: | SMA Maps & Info |
Facts about Leeuwarden Air Base (LWR):
- Leeuwarden Air Base (LWR) has 2 runways.
- Because of Leeuwarden Air Base's relatively low elevation of 3 feet, planes can take off or land at Leeuwarden 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.
- In 2016 a squadron of MQ-9 Reapers will be based at Leeuwarden Air Base to be fully operational as of 2017.
- The furthest airport from Leeuwarden Air Base (LWR) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,778 miles (18,955 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to Leeuwarden Air Base (LWR) is Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) ESE of LWR.
- After the liberation of the Netherlands, the airbase was repaired.
- In addition to being known as "Leeuwarden Air Base", another name for LWR is "Vliegbasis Leeuwarden".
Facts about Santa Maria Airport (SMA):
- Santa Maria Airport handled 93,436 passengers last year.
- Along with the airports in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Flores, Horta, Ponta Delgada and Beja, the airport's concessions to provide support to civil aviation was conceded to ANA Aeroportos de Portugal on 18 December 1998, under provisions of decree 404/98.
- Because of Santa Maria Airport's relatively low elevation of 308 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria 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.
- It was built in the context of the Second World War, by US troops in order to maintain supply lines to Europe, and inaugurated on 26 July 1945.
- The furthest airport from Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is Moruya Airport (MYA), which is nearly antipodal to Santa Maria Airport (meaning Santa Maria Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Moruya Airport), and is located 12,166 miles (19,579 kilometers) away in Moruya, New South Wales, Australia.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Airport", another name for SMA is "Aeroporto de Santa Maria".
- For a while, Air France's supersonic Concordes were routed to Santa Maria on refueling layovers between Paris and Caracas.
- The closest airport to Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is João Paulo II Airport (PDL), which is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) NNW of SMA.
- Santa Maria Airport (SMA) currently has only 1 runway.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 34.82 miles (56.03 km) ESE | Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ) | Groningen / Eelde, Netherlands |     |
| 2 | 45.81 miles (73.73 km) WSW | De Kooy Airfield (DHR) | Den Helder, Netherlands | |
| 3 | 46.57 miles (74.95 km) ENE | Borkum Airfield (BMK) | Borkum, Lower Saxony, Germany | |
| 4 | 53.97 miles (86.86 km) S | Lelystad Airport (LEY) | Lelystad, Netherlands | |
| 5 | 61.59 miles (99.12 km) E | Emden Airport (EME) | Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany | |
| 6 | 76.03 miles (122.35 km) SSW | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) | Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands | |
| 7 | 81.00 miles (130.36 km) SE | Enschede Airport Twente (ENS) | Enschede, Netherlands | |
| 8 | 92.40 miles (148.70 km) SW | Valkenburg Naval Air Base (LID) | Leiden, Netherlands | |
| 9 | 93.80 miles (150.95 km) SE | Rheine-Bentlage Air Base (ZPQ) | Rhine, Germany | |
| 10 | 96.53 miles (155.35 km) ENE | Wangerooge Airport (AGE) | Wangerooge, Lower Saxony, Germany | |
| 11 | 103.94 miles (167.28 km) SSW | Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| 12 | 108.61 miles (174.79 km) S | Volkel Air Base (UDE) | Uden, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands | |
| 13 | 110.14 miles (177.26 km) NE | Heligoland Airport (HGL) | Düne, Helgoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany | |
| 14 | 110.45 miles (177.75 km) SE | Münster Osnabrück International Airport (FMO) | Greven, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | |
| 15 | 113.50 miles (182.66 km) S | Weeze Airport (NRN) | Weeze, Niederrhein, Germany | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,778.25 miles (18,955.21 km) S | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 11,579.24 miles (18,634.93 km) ESE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 11,564.23 miles (18,610.78 km) SE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 11,543.21 miles (18,576.94 km) ESE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 11,535.21 miles (18,564.08 km) SE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 11,533.22 miles (18,560.87 km) SE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 11,532.76 miles (18,560.13 km) SE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 11,531.09 miles (18,557.44 km) ESE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 11,516.42 miles (18,533.83 km) ESE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 11,503.93 miles (18,513.74 km) SE | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 11,488.62 miles (18,489.10 km) ESE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 11,484.77 miles (18,482.91 km) ESE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 11,478.45 miles (18,472.73 km) SE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 11,471.53 miles (18,461.60 km) SE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 11,469.75 miles (18,458.73 km) SE | Wellington International Airport (WLG) | Wellington, New Zealand | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 60.44 miles (97.26 km) NNW | João Paulo II Airport (PDL) | Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal | |
| 2 | 161.94 miles (260.61 km) NW | Lajes Air Base (TER) | Lajes, Azores, Portugal | |
| 3 | 209.34 miles (336.90 km) WNW | Pico Airport (PIX) | Pico Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 4 | 213.54 miles (343.67 km) NW | Graciosa Airport (GRW) | Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 5 | 221.17 miles (355.94 km) WNW | Horta International Airport (HOR) | Horta, Azores, Portugal | |
| 6 | 366.19 miles (589.32 km) WNW | Flores Airport (FLW) | Flores Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 7 | 371.97 miles (598.63 km) WNW | Corvo Airport (CVU) | Corvo Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 8 | 560.01 miles (901.25 km) ESE | Madeira Airport (FNC) | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 9 | 566.98 miles (912.46 km) ESE | Porto Santo Airport (PXO) | Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 10 | 719.25 miles (1,157.51 km) SE | La Palma Airport (SPC) | La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 11 | 771.87 miles (1,242.20 km) SE | La Gomera Airport (GMZ) | Alajeró / San Sebastián, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 12 | 778.68 miles (1,253.16 km) SE | Tenerife North Airport (TFN) | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 13 | 793.97 miles (1,277.77 km) SE | Tenerife-South Airport (TFS) | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 14 | 844.99 miles (1,359.87 km) SE | Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) | Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 15 | 869.00 miles (1,398.51 km) SE | Lanzarote Airport (ACE) | Arrecife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,166.03 miles (19,579.28 km) ESE | Moruya Airport (MYA) | Moruya, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 2 | 12,164.68 miles (19,577.11 km) E | Merimbula Airport (MIM) | Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 3 | 12,155.61 miles (19,562.50 km) SE | Illawarra Regional Airport (WOL) | Shellharbour, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 4 | 12,143.59 miles (19,543.17 km) SE | Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) | Mascot (near Sydney), Australia | |
| 5 | 12,135.02 miles (19,529.37 km) SE | Bankstown Airport (BWU) | Bankstown (near Sydney), New South Wales, Australia | |
| 6 | 12,128.04 miles (19,518.13 km) SE | Camden Aerodrome (CDU) | Camden, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 7 | 12,113.81 miles (19,495.24 km) ESE | Goulburn Airport (GUL) | Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 8 | 12,112.40 miles (19,492.97 km) SE | Belmont Airport (BEO) | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 9 | 12,102.07 miles (19,476.35 km) ESE | Canberra Airport (CBR) | Canberra, Australia | |
| 10 | 12,101.93 miles (19,476.12 km) SSE | Newcastle Airport (NTL) | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 11 | 12,086.58 miles (19,451.41 km) SE | Cessnock Airport (CES) | Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 12 | 12,086.22 miles (19,450.83 km) SSE | Maitland Airport (MTL) | Maitland, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 13 | 12,054.69 miles (19,400.10 km) SE | Bathurst Airport (BHS) | Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 14 | 12,047.90 miles (19,389.17 km) E | Corryong Airport (CYG) | Corryong, Victoria, Australia | |
| 15 | 12,038.04 miles (19,373.30 km) SSE | Port Macquarie Airport (PQQ) | Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia | |