Nonstop flight route between Palmdale, California, United States and Massawa, Eritrea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from PMD to MSW:
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- About this route
- PMD Airport Information
- MSW Airport Information
- Facts about PMD
- Facts about MSW
- Map of Nearest Airports to PMD
- List of Nearest Airports to PMD
- Map of Furthest Airports from PMD
- List of Furthest Airports from PMD
- Map of Nearest Airports to MSW
- List of Nearest Airports to MSW
- Map of Furthest Airports from MSW
- List of Furthest Airports from MSW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD), Palmdale, California, United States and Massawa International Airport (MSW), Massawa, Eritrea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,658 miles (or 13,934 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 Massawa 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 Palmdale Regional Airport and Massawa International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PMD / KPMD |
Airport Name: | Palmdale Regional Airport |
Location: | Palmdale, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°37'45"N by 118°5'3"W |
Area Served: | Palmdale, California |
Airport Type: | Public/Military (Joint Use) |
Elevation: | 2543 feet (775 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from PMD |
More Information: | PMD Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MSW / HHMS |
Airport Name: | Massawa International Airport |
Location: | Massawa, Eritrea |
GPS Coordinates: | 15°40'59"N by 39°22'5"E |
Area Served: | Massawa |
Airport Type: | Military/Public |
Elevation: | 206 feet (63 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MSW |
More Information: | MSW Maps & Info |
Facts about Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD):
- Between June 7 and December 31, 2007, the airport served 12,022 passengers, about 58 passengers per day.
- LAWA has used Plant 42's facilities in past years when at one point in the early 1990s several airlines used the Palmdale Regional Airport terminal sited on Plant 42.
- In 1940, Palmdale Army Airfield was activated as a United States Army Air Corps airfield for use as an emergency landing strip and for B-25 Mitchell medium bomber support training during World War II.
- 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.
- 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.
- In February 2007 the city of Palmdale and LAWA selected United Airlines to provide service between Palmdale and San Francisco International Airport.
- The Blackbird Airpark Museum and the adjacent Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark have recently been opened on Plant 42 property along Avenue P with displays of the SR-71, U-2, Century Series fighters and other aircraft designed, engineered, manufactured, and flight tested at its facilities.
- Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) has 3 runways.
- PMD and Plant 42 are separate facilities that share a common runway at the site.
Facts about Massawa International Airport (MSW):
- As of 2014, the airport only hosts domestic flights since the companies that formed it do not have an international license.
- The closest airport to Massawa International Airport (MSW) is Asmara International Airport (ASM), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) SW of MSW.
- Massawa International Airport (MSW) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Massawa International Airport (MSW) is Fangatau Airport (FGU), which is nearly antipodal to Massawa International Airport (meaning Massawa International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fangatau Airport), and is located 12,417 miles (19,984 kilometers) away in Fangatau, French Polynesia.
- Because of Massawa International Airport's relatively low elevation of 206 feet, planes can take off or land at Massawa 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 Eritrea Investment Centre has proposed a new $60 million development project at the airport.