Nonstop flight route between Maripasoula, French Guiana and Santa Maria, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MPY to SMX:
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- About this route
- MPY Airport Information
- SMX Airport Information
- Facts about MPY
- Facts about SMX
- Map of Nearest Airports to MPY
- List of Nearest Airports to MPY
- Map of Furthest Airports from MPY
- List of Furthest Airports from MPY
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMX
- List of Nearest Airports to SMX
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMX
- List of Furthest Airports from SMX
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Maripasoula Airport (MPY), Maripasoula, French Guiana and Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,744 miles (or 7,635 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 Maripasoula Airport and Santa Maria Public 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 Maripasoula Airport and Santa Maria Public Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MPY / SOOA |
Airport Name: | Maripasoula Airport |
Location: | Maripasoula, French Guiana |
GPS Coordinates: | 3°39'27"N by 54°2'13"W |
Area Served: | Maripasoula, French Guiana |
Operator/Owner: | Conseil Général de la Guyane |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 377 feet (115 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MPY |
More Information: | MPY Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMX / KSMX |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Santa Maria, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°53'56"N by 120°27'26"W |
Area Served: | Santa Maria, California |
Operator/Owner: | Santa Maria Public Airport District |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 261 feet (80 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SMX |
More Information: | SMX Maps & Info |
Facts about Maripasoula Airport (MPY):
- Because of Maripasoula Airport's relatively low elevation of 377 feet, planes can take off or land at Maripasoula 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 Maripasoula Airport (MPY) is Namrole Airport (NRE), which is nearly antipodal to Maripasoula Airport (meaning Maripasoula Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Namrole Airport), and is located 12,384 miles (19,930 kilometers) away in Buru, Indonesia.
- The closest airport to Maripasoula Airport (MPY) is Drietabbetje Airstrip (DRJ), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) NW of MPY.
- Maripasoula Airport (MPY) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):
- The airport was built by the United States Army during World War II, known as Santa Maria Army Air Field.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
- The closest airport to Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SSW of SMX.
- Because of Santa Maria Public Airport's relatively low elevation of 261 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria Public 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.
- Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,466 miles (18,453 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- Santa Maria Public Airport is three miles south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California.
- Other enhancements include a new passenger terminal holding room that opened February 2008.