Nonstop flight route between Merced, California, United States and Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Merced Regional Airport (MCE), Merced, California, United States and Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ), Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,200 miles (or 13,196 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 Merced Regional Airport and Civil Enclave Bhuj, 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 Merced Regional Airport and Civil Enclave Bhuj. 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 Merced Regional Airport (MCE):

• Merced Regional Airport is a base for Medi-Flight Northern California, an air ambulance service provided by Mercy Air, a subsidiary of Air Methods.
• Because of Merced Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 155 feet, planes can take off or land at Merced Regional 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 "Merced Regional Airport", another name for MCE is "MacReady Field".
• The closest airport to Merced Regional Airport (MCE) is Castle Airport (MER), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) NNW of MCE.
• In 1946 United Airlines built offices and a terminal building and began one Douglas DC-3 flight each way a day.
• The furthest airport from Merced Regional Airport (MCE) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,314 miles (18,209 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Merced Regional Airport (MCE) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ):

• The airport was previously made up of two bunkers/buildings near the Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base, with which it shares the runway.
• Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In the 1930s Tata Air Lines won a government contract to run a bi-weekly service from Karachi to Colombo via Bhuj, Ahmedabad, Bombay, Hyderabad, Madras and Trichinopoly.
• Because of Civil Enclave Bhuj's relatively low elevation of 257 feet, planes can take off or land at Civil Enclave Bhuj 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 2005, then Member of Parliament from Kutch, Pushpdan Gadhavi, as well as Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, made a request to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to rename the airport after revolutionary freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma.
• The air traffic control unit of Bhuj airport controls and guides air traffic at Mundra airport, a private airport owned by the Adani group, located about 43 miles away.
• The airstrip was destroyed in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, in air strikes in which Pakistani bombers dropped napalm bombs.
• In addition to being known as "Civil Enclave Bhuj", other names for BHJ include "Bhuj Rudra Mata Airport", "Bhuj Airport" and "Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base".
• The closest airport to Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Kandla Airport (IXY), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) ESE of BHJ.
• The furthest airport from Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Civil Enclave Bhuj (meaning Civil Enclave Bhuj is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,163 miles (19,574 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The original ATC tower was destroyed in the earthquake and an ad hoc terminal was set up for rescue operations.