Nonstop flight route between Shafter, California, United States and Oranjestad, Aruba:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shafter Airport (MIT), Shafter, California, United States and Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA), Oranjestad, Aruba would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,442 miles (or 5,539 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 Shafter Airport and Queen Beatrix 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 Shafter Airport and Queen Beatrix International Airport. 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 Shafter Airport (MIT):

• Because of Shafter Airport's relatively low elevation of 424 feet, planes can take off or land at Shafter 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.
• Lerdo Field, as the airport was initially known during World War II was first opened in June 1941 when the United States Army Air Corps dispatched a small garrison of airmen to open an airfield at Shafter.
• The furthest airport from Shafter Airport (MIT) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,404 miles (18,353 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• In addition to being known as "Shafter Airport", another name for MIT is "Minter Field".
• With the end of the war in 1945, airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use in March 1948.
• The primary aircraft flown at Minter Field was the Vultee BT-13 Valiant, which was used for basic flight training.
• Shafter Airport (MIT) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Shafter Airport (MIT) is Meadows Field (BFL), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) ESE of MIT.

Facts about Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA):

• This airport used to serve as the hub for bankrupt airline Air Aruba, which was for many years an international airline.
• Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) is Christmas Island Airport (XCH), which is nearly antipodal to Queen Beatrix International Airport (meaning Queen Beatrix International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Christmas Island Airport), and is located 12,113 miles (19,494 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Australia.
• During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending Caribbean shipping and the Panama Canal against German submarines.
• A terminal for private aircraft opened in 2007.
• Because of Queen Beatrix International Airport's relatively low elevation of 60 feet, planes can take off or land at Queen Beatrix International 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 "Queen Beatrix International Airport", another name for AUA is "Internationale luchthaven Koningin BeatrixAeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix".
• The closest airport to Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) is Josefa Camejo International Airport (LSP), which is located 51 miles (81 kilometers) S of AUA.