Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Lhoksumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to LSW:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- LSW Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about LSW
- 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 LSW
- List of Nearest Airports to LSW
- Map of Furthest Airports from LSW
- List of Furthest Airports from LSW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW), Lhoksumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,631 miles (or 13,890 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 Malikus Saleh 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 Malikus Saleh 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: | LSW / WITM |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Lhoksumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°13'36"N by 96°57'1"E |
Area Served: | Lhokseumawe - Medan |
Operator/Owner: | Lhokseumawe |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 90 feet (27 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from LSW |
More Information: | LSW Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of 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 furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- The airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- The EPA currently has this base listed on their database due to the bulk wastes such as solvents, oils, fuels, and sludges which were disposed in pits at landfills around the base until 1977.
- In 2004, recommendations were made to relocate the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard and its associated HC-130, MC-130 and HH-60 aircraft from Moffett Federal Airfield to the former Castle Air Force Base, now Castle Airport.
Facts about Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW):
- Lhoksukon airport, owned by Pt Exxon Mobil is also nearby.
- Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Malikus Saleh Airport's relatively low elevation of 90 feet, planes can take off or land at Malikus Saleh 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 Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW) is Cap. FAP Victor Montes Arias Airport (TYL), which is nearly antipodal to Malikus Saleh Airport (meaning Malikus Saleh Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap. FAP Victor Montes Arias Airport), and is located 12,305 miles (19,803 kilometers) away in Talara, Peru.
- PT Arun NGL initially using aircraft owned by Pelita Air Service to daily flights Lhokseumawe - Medan route.
- In addition to being known as "Malikus Saleh Airport", another name for LSW is "Bandar Udara Malikussaleh".
- The closest airport to Malikus Saleh Airport (LSW) is Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport (BTJ), which is located 107 miles (173 kilometers) W of LSW.