Nonstop flight route between Luqa, Malta and San Francisco, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malta International Airport (MLA), Luqa, Malta and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,658 miles (or 10,715 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 Malta International Airport and San Francisco 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 Malta International Airport and San Francisco 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 Malta International Airport (MLA):

• Malta International Airport is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole Maltese Archipelago.
• The airport serves as the main hub for Air Malta and a base for Ryanair.
• The first civil airfield was constructed at Ta' Qali, followed by others at Ħal Far and Luqa.
• Malta International Airport handled 405,200 passengers last year.
• Malta International Airport air terminal operations include general passenger services, and the operation of an extensive range of retail services at the airport, airside and landside shops, restaurants and other outlets, which are all operated on concession agreements.
• The closest airport to Malta International Airport (MLA) is Xewkija / Gozo Heliport (GZM), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) NW of MLA.
• Shops at the airport include news kiosk, florist and tax-free outlets, Food and Beverage outlets.
• Malta International Airport (MLA) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Malta International Airport", other names for MLA include "Luqa Airport" and "Valletta Airport".
• The airport is located 5 km southwest of the capital, Valletta.
• Ryanair based one aircraft in Malta from May 2010, increasing to two from May 2012.
• Because of Malta International Airport's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Malta 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.
• The furthest airport from Malta International Airport (MLA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,639 miles (18,731 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Facts about San Francisco International Airport (SFO):

• Because of San Francisco International Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at San Francisco 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.
• The furthest airport from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• After the war United Airlines used the Pan Am terminal 37°38′05″N 122°23′24″W / 37.6347°N 122.39°W / 37.6347.
• In summer 2011, Lufthansa and Air France operated the Airbus A380 at SFO seasonally, the first A380 scheduled service to the airport.
• San Francisco International Airport handled 44,477,209 passengers last year.
• All SkyTeam, Oneworld and non-aligned international carriers operate from Boarding Area A.
• The closest airport to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) SW of SFO.
• Formerly known as the "South Terminal," Terminal 1 has Boarding Area B and Boarding Area C.
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has 4 runways.
• In 1989 a master plan and Environmental Impact Report were prepared to guide development over the next two decades.