Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
(37°22'50"N by 120°34'5"W)
Arrival Airport:
(29°5'38"S by 26°18'14"E)
Distance from MER to BFN:
10,450.08 miles (16,817.73 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- BFN Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about BFN
- 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 BFN
- List of Nearest Airports to BFN
- Map of Furthest Airports from BFN
- List of Furthest Airports from BFN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN), Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,450 miles (or 16,818 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 Bloemfontein 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 Bloemfontein 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: | BFN / FABL |
| Airport Name: | Bloemfontein International Airport |
| Location: | Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 29°5'38"S by 26°18'14"E |
| Operator/Owner: | ACSA South African Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Public / Military |
| Elevation: | 4457 feet (1,358 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BFN |
| More Information: | BFN Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- 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.
- The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- EPA investigations have been completed at multiple areas of contamination including landfills, discharge areas, chemical disposal areas, fire training areas, fuel spill areas, and polychlorinated biphenyl spill areas.
- 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 furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
Facts about Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN):
- The closest airport to Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) is Mafeteng Airport (MFC), which is located 75 miles (120 kilometers) SE of BFN.
- In 2012, the airport served 426,420 passengers.
- Because of Bloemfontein International Airport's high elevation of 4,457 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at BFN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make BFN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The furthest airport from Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,855 miles (19,079 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- Bloemfontein International Airport (BFN) has 2 runways.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 7.26 miles (11.68 km) SSE | Merced Regional Airport (MCE) | Merced, California, United States |     |
| 2 | 27.12 miles (43.65 km) NW | Modesto City-County Airport (MOD) | Modesto, California, United States | |
| 3 | 27.51 miles (44.27 km) SW | Los Banos Municipal Airport (LSN) | Los Banos, California, United States | |
| 4 | 29.78 miles (47.92 km) W | NASA Crows Landing Airport (NRC) | Crows Landing, California, United States | |
| 5 | 36.91 miles (59.40 km) SE | Madera Municipal Airport (MAE) | Madera, California, United States | |
| 6 | 45.69 miles (73.53 km) N | Columbia Airport (COA) | Columbia, California, United States | |
| 7 | 51.03 miles (82.13 km) NW | Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK) | Stockton, California, United States | |
| 8 | 57.32 miles (92.24 km) SW | Hollister Municipal Airport (HLI) | Hollister, California, United States | |
| 9 | 60.88 miles (97.98 km) SE | Fresno Chandler Executive AirportChandler Municipal Airport (Old) (FCH) | Fresno, California, United States | |
| 10 | 62.71 miles (100.91 km) SE | Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) | Fresno, California, United States | |
| 11 | 68.82 miles (110.76 km) W | Reid-Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County (RHV) | San Jose, California, United States | |
| 12 | 71.93 miles (115.77 km) WNW | Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK) | Livermore, California, United States | |
| 13 | 73.96 miles (119.02 km) WSW | Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) | Watsonville, California, United States | |
| 14 | 74.75 miles (120.29 km) W | Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) | San Jose, California, United States | |
| 15 | 75.76 miles (121.93 km) SW | Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS) | Salinas, California, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,311.72 miles (18,204.41 km) SE | Tôlanaro Airport (FTU) | Tôlanaro, Madagascar | |
| 2 | 11,301.64 miles (18,188.18 km) SSE | Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE) | Saint-Pierre, Réunion | |
| 3 | 11,273.49 miles (18,142.87 km) SSE | Roland Garros Airport (RUN) | St Denis, Réunion, France | |
| 4 | 11,260.93 miles (18,122.66 km) S | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) | Plaisance, Mauritius | |
| 5 | 11,205.02 miles (18,032.69 km) SE | Ampanihy Airport (AMP) | Ampanihy, Madagascar | |
| 6 | 11,196.39 miles (18,018.79 km) SSW | Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) | Rodrigues Island, Mauritius | |
| 7 | 11,137.28 miles (17,923.67 km) SSE | Mananjary Airport (MNJ) | Mananjary, Madagascar | |
| 8 | 11,111.96 miles (17,882.92 km) SE | Fianarantsoa Airport (WFI) | Fianarantsoa, Madagascar | |
| 9 | 11,011.03 miles (17,720.49 km) SE | Manja Airport (MJA) | Manja, Menabe, Madagascar | |
| 10 | 11,008.37 miles (17,716.22 km) SE | Andavadoaka Airport (DVD) | Andavadoaka, Toliara province, Atsimo-Andrefana region, Madagascar | |
| 11 | 10,993.21 miles (17,691.82 km) SE | Morombe Airport (MXM) | Morombe, Madagascar | |
| 12 | 10,972.89 miles (17,659.11 km) SSE | Toamasino Airport (TMM) | Toamasina, Madagascar | |
| 13 | 10,963.56 miles (17,644.10 km) SSE | Ivato International Airport (TNR) | Antananarivo, Madagascar | |
| 14 | 10,945.21 miles (17,614.56 km) SE | Miandrivazo Airport (ZVA) | Miandrivazo, Madagascar | |
| 15 | 10,920.84 miles (17,575.35 km) SE | Belo sur Tsiribihina Airport (BMD) | Belo sur Tsiribihina, Madagascar | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 74.70 miles (120.22 km) SE | Mafeteng Airport (MFC) | Mafeteng, Lesotho | |
| 2 | 79.44 miles (127.84 km) ESE | Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU) | Maseru, Lesotho | |
| 3 | 95.29 miles (153.35 km) WNW | Kimberley Airport (KIM) | Kimberley, South Africa | |
| 4 | 106.99 miles (172.18 km) E | Leribe Airport (LRB) | Leribe, Lesotho | |
| 5 | 117.49 miles (189.09 km) ESE | Semonkong Airport (SOK) | Semonkong, Lesotho | |
| 6 | 131.74 miles (212.01 km) ESE | Lesobeng Airport (LES) | Lesobeng, Lesotho | |
| 7 | 151.77 miles (244.24 km) ESE | Lebakeng Airport (LEF) | Lebakeng, Lesotho | |
| 8 | 167.52 miles (269.60 km) E | Mokhotlong Airport (MKH) | Mokhotlong, Lesotho | |
| 9 | 209.21 miles (336.69 km) WNW | Johan Pienaar Airport (KMH) | Kuruman, South Africa | |
| 10 | 211.77 miles (340.80 km) E | Ladysmith Airport (LAY) | Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 11 | 219.52 miles (353.29 km) NE | Heidelberg Airport (HDB) | Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany | |
| 12 | 220.71 miles (355.19 km) SE | Mthatha Airport (UTT) | Mthatha, South Africa | |
| 13 | 227.13 miles (365.52 km) NNE | Rand Airport (QRA) | Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 14 | 231.79 miles (373.03 km) NNW | Mafikeng Airport (MBD) | Mmabatho, South Africa | |
| 15 | 236.24 miles (380.19 km) NNE | O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,854.95 miles (19,078.65 km) NNE | Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) | Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 2 | 11,848.44 miles (19,068.16 km) NNE | Molokai Airport (MKK) | Kaunakakai, Hawaii, United States | |
| 3 | 11,846.56 miles (19,065.15 km) NNE | Dillingham Airfield (HDH) | Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States | |
| 4 | 11,845.38 miles (19,063.25 km) NNE | Hana Airport (HNM) | Hana, Hawaii, United States | |
| 5 | 11,845.32 miles (19,063.14 km) NNE | Wheeler AAF (HHI) | Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States | |
| 6 | 11,845.30 miles (19,063.12 km) NNE | Kahului Airport (OGG) | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | |
| 7 | 11,844.99 miles (19,062.61 km) NNE | Kapalua Airport (JHM) | Lahaina, Hawaii, United States | |
| 8 | 11,841.62 miles (19,057.20 km) NE | Princeville Airport (HPV) | Hanalei, Hawaii, United States | |
| 9 | 11,838.28 miles (19,051.81 km) NNE | Honolulu International Airport (HNL) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 10 | 11,838.28 miles (19,051.81 km) NNE | Hickam Field (HIK) | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| 11 | 11,833.45 miles (19,044.04 km) NNE | Kalaeloa Airport (NAX) | Kapolei, Hawaii, United States | |
| 12 | 11,832.37 miles (19,042.31 km) NE | Lihue Airport (LIH) | Lihue, Hawaii, United States | |
| 13 | 11,827.70 miles (19,034.79 km) NNE | Lanai Airport (LNY) | Lanai City, Hawaii, United States | |
| 14 | 11,818.41 miles (19,019.83 km) NE | PMRF Barking Sands (BKH) | Kekaha, Hawaii, United States | |
| 15 | 11,818.21 miles (19,019.51 km) NE | Port Allen Airport (PAK) | Hanapepe, Hawaii, United States | |