Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Asmara, Eritrea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to ASM:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- ASM Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about ASM
- Map of Nearest Airports to MER
- List of Nearest Airports to MER
- Map of Furthest Airports from MER
- List of Furthest Airports from MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to ASM
- List of Nearest Airports to ASM
- Map of Furthest Airports from ASM
- List of Furthest Airports from ASM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Asmara International Airport (ASM), Asmara, Eritrea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,561 miles (or 13,777 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 Castle Airport and Asmara International 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 Castle Airport and Asmara International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MER / KMER |
Airport Name: | Castle Airport |
Location: | Atwater, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°22'50"N by 120°34'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation, and Economic Development |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 191 feet (58 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MER |
More Information: | MER Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ASM / HHAS |
Airport Name: | Asmara International Airport |
Location: | Asmara, Eritrea |
GPS Coordinates: | 15°17'30"N by 38°54'38"E |
Area Served: | Asmara |
Airport Type: | Military/Public |
Elevation: | 7661 feet (2,335 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ASM |
More Information: | ASM Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- Because of Castle Airport's relatively low elevation of 191 feet, planes can take off or land at Castle 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.
- The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- Since the mid-1940s, aircraft maintenance, fuel management, and fire training activities on the base have generated wastes that consist primarily of waste fuels, oils, solvents, and cleaners.
- The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- Castle Airport covers an area of 1,360 acres which contains one runway with an 11,802 x 150 ft asphalt and concrete pavement.
Facts about Asmara International Airport (ASM):
- Asmara International Airport, formerly known as Yohannes IV International Airport, is an airport in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.
- The airport is the most important of Eritrea, even if it has some restrictions because it is located inside the external neighboroughs of Asmara.
- Because of Asmara International Airport's high elevation of 7,661 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at ASM. Combined with a high temperature, this could make ASM a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The furthest airport from Asmara International Airport (ASM) is Fangatau Airport (FGU), which is nearly antipodal to Asmara International Airport (meaning Asmara International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fangatau Airport), and is located 12,398 miles (19,952 kilometers) away in Fangatau, French Polynesia.
- On 7 July 1935, an agreement was signed with Imperial Airways to connect Asmara to Khartoum.
- Asmara International Airport (ASM) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Asmara International Airport (ASM) is Massawa International Airport (MSW), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) NE of ASM.
- In 2004, the airport served 136,526 passengers.