Nonstop flight route between Palmdale, California, United States and Gasmata Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD), Palmdale, California, United States and Gasmata Airport (GMI), Gasmata Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,554 miles (or 10,548 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 Palmdale Regional Airport and Gasmata 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 Palmdale Regional Airport and Gasmata 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 Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD):

• Both the Air Force and its aircraft contractors needed a location away from major population centers - due to sonic booms, other noises and security concerns - but close enough to the major centers of aircraft design and production, while having excellent flying weather the year around.
• Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) has 3 runways.
• Palmdale Regional Airport has a small airline terminal and a hangar.
• PMD and Plant 42 are separate facilities that share a common runway at the site.
• The furthest airport from Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,436 miles (18,405 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• Between June 7 and December 31, 2007, the airport served 12,022 passengers, about 58 passengers per day.
• The closest airport to Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) is General Wm. J. Fox Airfield (WJF), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) NW of PMD.
• On February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737 landing on Runway 24L at LAX, collided upon touchdown with a SkyWest Airlines Fairchild Metroliner, Flight 5569 departing to Palmdale Regional Airport, that had been holding in position on the same runway.

Facts about Gasmata Airport (GMI):

• The furthest airport from Gasmata Airport (GMI) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,746 miles (18,903 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• Gasmata Airport (GMI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Gasmata Airport (GMI) is Kandrian Airport (KDR), which is located 55 miles (88 kilometers) W of GMI.
• Because of Gasmata Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Gasmata 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.