Nonstop flight route between Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Santa Monica, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
(37°40'23"S by 144°50'35"E)
Arrival Airport:
(34°0'56"N by 118°27'5"W)
Distance from MEL to SMO:
7,927.76 miles (12,758.46 km)
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- About this route
- MEL Airport Information
- SMO Airport Information
- Facts about MEL
- Facts about SMO
- Map of Nearest Airports to MEL
- List of Nearest Airports to MEL
- Map of Furthest Airports from MEL
- List of Furthest Airports from MEL
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMO
- List of Nearest Airports to SMO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMO
- List of Furthest Airports from SMO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Melbourne Airport (MEL), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,928 miles (or 12,758 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 Melbourne Airport and Santa Monica 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 Melbourne Airport and Santa Monica Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | MEL / YMML |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°40'23"S by 144°50'35"E |
| Area Served: | Melbourne |
| Operator/Owner: | Australia Pacific Airports Corporation Limited |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 434 feet (132 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MEL |
| More Information: | MEL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMO / KSMO |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Santa Monica, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 34°0'56"N by 118°27'5"W |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Santa Monica |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 177 feet (54 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMO |
| More Information: | SMO Maps & Info |
Facts about Melbourne Airport (MEL):
- A$330 million expansion programme for Terminal 2 was announced in 2007.
- In 1988, the Australian Government formed the Federal Airports Corporation, placing Melbourne Airport under the operational control of the new corporation along with 21 other airports around the nation.
- The furthest airport from Melbourne Airport (MEL) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is nearly antipodal to Melbourne Airport (meaning Melbourne Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Flores Airport), and is located 12,187 miles (19,613 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
- In addition to being known as "Melbourne Airport", another name for MEL is "Tullamarine Airport".
- Terminal 3 – opened with the airport as the Ansett Australia terminal, but is now owned by Melbourne Airport.
- Melbourne Airport handled 2,998,000 passengers last year.
- In 2003, Melbourne received the International Air Transport Association Eagle Award for service and two National Tourism Awards for tourism services.
- The closest airport to Melbourne Airport (MEL) is Essendon Airport (MEB), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) SE of MEL.
- Melbourne Airport (MEL) has 2 runways.
- Opened with Melbourne Airport in 1970 for Trans Australia Airlines, the terminal passed to Qantas in 1992 when they acquired the airline.
- Because of Melbourne Airport's relatively low elevation of 434 feet, planes can take off or land at Melbourne 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 Santa Monica Airport (SMO):
- The furthest airport from Santa Monica Airport (SMO) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,484 miles (18,481 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- The airport has a control tower and, on average, handled 296 operations a day.
- Night Departure Curfew – No takeoffs or engine starts are permitted between 11 pm and 7 am Monday through Friday, or until 8 am on weekends.
- Because of Santa Monica Airport's relatively low elevation of 177 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Monica 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 2015, the City of Santa Monica's settlement agreement with the FAA concerning the airport expires.
- The closest airport to Santa Monica Airport (SMO) is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSE of SMO.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Monica Airport", other names for SMO include "Santa Monica Municipal Airport" and "Clover Field".
- Santa Monica Airport (SMO) currently has only 1 runway.
- Airport Park opened as an 8.3-acre public park on non-aviation lands at the southeast corner of the Airport.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 4.96 miles (7.98 km) SE | Essendon Airport (MEB) | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |     |
| 2 | 25.23 miles (40.60 km) SE | Moorabbin Harry Hawker Airport (MBW) | Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia | |
| 3 | 44.63 miles (71.82 km) SW | Avalon Airport (AVV) | Avalon, Victoria, Australia | |
| 4 | 47.19 miles (75.95 km) SW | Geelong Airport (GEX) | Grovedale, Victoria, Australia | |
| 5 | 70.44 miles (113.37 km) NNW | Bendigo Airport (BXG) | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia | |
| 6 | 91.16 miles (146.71 km) NNE | Shepparton Airport (SHT) | Shepparton, Victoria, Australia | |
| 7 | 100.57 miles (161.85 km) NE | Benalla Airport (BLN) | Benalla, Victoria, Australia | |
| 8 | 104.74 miles (168.57 km) WNW | Ararat Airport (ARY) | Ararat, Victoria, Australia | |
| 9 | 104.85 miles (168.74 km) N | Echuca Airport (ECH) | Echuca, Victoria, Australia | |
| 10 | 137.40 miles (221.13 km) WSW | Warrnambool Airport (WMB) | Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia | |
| 11 | 141.89 miles (228.34 km) NNW | Kerang Airport (KRA) | Kerang, Victoria, Australia | |
| 12 | 143.12 miles (230.33 km) NE | Corowa Airport (CWW) | Corowa, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 13 | 143.46 miles (230.87 km) ENE | Mount Hotham Airport (MHU) | Mount Hotham, Victoria, Australia | |
| 14 | 146.13 miles (235.17 km) N | Deniliquin Airport (DNQ) | Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 15 | 149.51 miles (240.61 km) E | Bairnsdale Aerodrome (BSJ) | Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,186.88 miles (19,612.84 km) WNW | Flores Airport (FLW) | Flores Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 2 | 12,178.71 miles (19,599.68 km) WNW | Corvo Airport (CVU) | Corvo Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 3 | 12,081.84 miles (19,443.78 km) WNW | Horta International Airport (HOR) | Horta, Azores, Portugal | |
| 4 | 12,066.79 miles (19,419.57 km) WNW | Pico Airport (PIX) | Pico Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 5 | 12,038.60 miles (19,374.20 km) WNW | Graciosa Airport (GRW) | Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 6 | 11,992.69 miles (19,300.32 km) WNW | Lajes Air Base (TER) | Lajes, Azores, Portugal | |
| 7 | 11,919.95 miles (19,183.25 km) W | João Paulo II Airport (PDL) | Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal | |
| 8 | 11,886.29 miles (19,129.07 km) W | Santa Maria Airport (SMA) | Santa Maria, Portugal | |
| 9 | 11,345.60 miles (18,258.93 km) WNW | Madeira Airport (FNC) | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 10 | 11,332.76 miles (18,238.26 km) W | Porto Santo Airport (PXO) | Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 11 | 11,313.48 miles (18,207.24 km) NE | St. John's International Airport (YYT) | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | |
| 12 | 11,254.91 miles (18,112.98 km) WNW | La Palma Airport (SPC) | La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 13 | 11,203.87 miles (18,030.83 km) WNW | La Gomera Airport (GMZ) | Alajeró / San Sebastián, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 14 | 11,197.14 miles (18,020.01 km) NE | Saint-Pierre Airport (FSP) | Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, France | |
| 15 | 11,194.75 miles (18,016.17 km) NE | Gander International Airport (YQX) | Gander, Newfoundland, Canada | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 5.64 miles (9.08 km) SSE | Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| 2 | 9.25 miles (14.89 km) SE | Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) | Hawthorne, California, United States | |
| 3 | 13.58 miles (21.85 km) N | Van Nuys Airport (VNY) | Van Nuys, California, United States | |
| 4 | 13.82 miles (22.25 km) NNE | Bob Hope Airport (BUR) | Burbank, California, United States | |
| 5 | 14.74 miles (23.73 km) SE | Compton/Woodley Airport (CPM) | Compton, California, United States | |
| 6 | 16.02 miles (25.78 km) SSE | Zamperini FieldLomita Landing Strip (TOA) | Torrance, California, United States | |
| 7 | 16.96 miles (27.30 km) N | Whiteman Airport (WHP) | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| 8 | 21.97 miles (35.35 km) SE | Long Beach Airport (JLB) | Long Beach, California, United States | |
| 9 | 21.97 miles (35.35 km) SE | Long Beach Airport (LGB) | Long Beach, California, United States | |
| 10 | 24.34 miles (39.17 km) ENE | San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport (EMT) | El Monte, California, United States | |
| 11 | 28.80 miles (46.35 km) ESE | Fullerton Municipal Airport (FUL) | Fullerton, California, United States | |
| 12 | 38.69 miles (62.26 km) E | Brackett Field (POC) | La Verne, California, United States | |
| 13 | 39.00 miles (62.77 km) W | Naval Air Station Point Mugu (NTD) | Point Mugu, California, United States | |
| 14 | 40.89 miles (65.81 km) SE | John Wayne Airport (SNA) | Santa Ana, California, United States | |
| 15 | 41.72 miles (67.13 km) WNW | Santa Paula Airport (SZP) | Santa Paula, California, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,483.60 miles (18,481.02 km) SSE | Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE) | Saint-Pierre, Réunion | |
| 2 | 11,468.78 miles (18,457.16 km) SSE | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) | Plaisance, Mauritius | |
| 3 | 11,457.94 miles (18,439.73 km) SSE | Roland Garros Airport (RUN) | St Denis, Réunion, France | |
| 4 | 11,445.39 miles (18,419.53 km) S | Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) | Rodrigues Island, Mauritius | |
| 5 | 11,364.26 miles (18,288.95 km) ESE | Tôlanaro Airport (FTU) | Tôlanaro, Madagascar | |
| 6 | 11,240.77 miles (18,090.22 km) SE | Mananjary Airport (MNJ) | Mananjary, Madagascar | |
| 7 | 11,239.49 miles (18,088.16 km) ESE | Ampanihy Airport (AMP) | Ampanihy, Madagascar | |
| 8 | 11,200.78 miles (18,025.86 km) SE | Fianarantsoa Airport (WFI) | Fianarantsoa, Madagascar | |
| 9 | 11,106.24 miles (17,873.71 km) SE | Toamasino Airport (TMM) | Toamasina, Madagascar | |
| 10 | 11,074.72 miles (17,822.98 km) SE | Ivato International Airport (TNR) | Antananarivo, Madagascar | |
| 11 | 11,073.46 miles (17,820.97 km) SE | Manja Airport (MJA) | Manja, Menabe, Madagascar | |
| 12 | 11,060.22 miles (17,799.66 km) SE | Sainte Marie Airport (SMS) | Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar | |
| 13 | 11,055.56 miles (17,792.16 km) ESE | Andavadoaka Airport (DVD) | Andavadoaka, Toliara province, Atsimo-Andrefana region, Madagascar | |
| 14 | 11,044.47 miles (17,774.31 km) ESE | Morombe Airport (MXM) | Morombe, Madagascar | |
| 15 | 11,032.37 miles (17,754.83 km) SE | Miandrivazo Airport (ZVA) | Miandrivazo, Madagascar | |