Nonstop flight route between Pago Pago, American Samoa and Managua, Nicaragua:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Pago Pago International Airport (PPG), Pago Pago, American Samoa and Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA), Managua, Nicaragua would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,066 miles (or 9,763 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 Pago Pago International Airport and Augusto César Sandino 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 Pago Pago International Airport and Augusto César Sandino 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 Pago Pago International Airport (PPG):

• Tasman Empire Airways Limited, or TEAL, the predecessor to what is now Air New Zealand, offered Douglas DC-6 flights from Nadi to Pago Pago and onwards to Tahiti in 1954 as part of its Coral Route Service.
• The closest airport to Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) is Ofu Airport (OFU), which is located 69 miles (112 kilometers) E of PPG.
• To facilitate aircraft with large payload requirements and long distance flights, runway 05/23 was expanded in early 2001 from an original runway length of 9,000 feet to the current 10,000 feet.
• Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) has 2 runways.
• Pago Pago International Airport had historic significance with the U.S.
• A US$18+ million Hot Fire/Crash Training facility was constructed and completed in 2008 and was to be used to train ARFF personnel, and other Fire Crash personnel from various airports in the South Pacific.
• The airport was a vital link to the Samoan Islands until the runway at Faleolo International Airport in Independent Samoa was improved and lengthened to handle larger than Boeing 737 type aircraft in 1984.
• The furthest airport from Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) is Zinder Airport (ZND), which is nearly antipodal to Pago Pago International Airport (meaning Pago Pago International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zinder Airport), and is located 12,396 miles (19,950 kilometers) away in Zinder, Niger.
• Because of Pago Pago International Airport's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Pago Pago 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 conjunction with the airstrip at Tafuna, an emergency Bomber airstrip was also constructed in the village of Leone, known then as Leone Airfield in early 1943.

Facts about Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA):

• The closest airport to Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA) is Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) (LIR), which is located 115 miles (185 kilometers) SSE of MGA.
• The furthest airport from Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Augusto César Sandino International Airport (meaning Augusto César Sandino International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,234 miles (19,689 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA) currently has only 1 runway.
• About 360 individuals are employed at the airport.
• In the early 1970s, Las Mercedes was expanded to more modern standards, such as four health inspectors, eight immigration officers and ten customs inspectors.
• Because of Augusto César Sandino International Airport's relatively low elevation of 194 feet, planes can take off or land at Augusto César Sandino 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 "Augusto César Sandino International Airport", another name for MGA is "Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino".
• Las Mercedes served for a very long time as a hub for Nicaragua's flag carriers Lanica, Aeronica from 1979 to the 80's and NICA afterwards.