Nonstop flight route between Pago Pago, American Samoa and Melilla, (Spanish exclave in Morocco):

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Pago Pago International Airport (PPG), Pago Pago, American Samoa and Melilla Airport (MLN), Melilla, (Spanish exclave in Morocco) would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,798 miles (or 17,378 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 Melilla 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 Melilla 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):

• South Pacific jet services between Sydney, Auckland, Honolulu and Papeete were first offered by Pan American World Airways in 1964 using Boeing 707 aircraft.
• The site and location of the current airport was originally known as Tafuna Airfield.
• 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.
• 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.
• The original runway alignments were 09/27 x 500 feet ) and 14/32 x 200 feet ) and were constructed of compact coral with capability to handle 65 fighter aircraft and 12 medium to heavy bombers.
• The closest airport to Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) is Ofu Airport (OFU), which is located 69 miles (112 kilometers) E of PPG.
• 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.
• Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) has 2 runways.
• Pago Pago International Airport, also known as Tafuna Airport, is a public airport located 7 miles southwest of the central business district of Pago Pago, in the village and plains of Tafuna on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States.
• Runway 09/27 was the primary commercial runway for aircraft in the 1950s and early 1960s.
• 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.
• Pago Pago International Airport had historic significance with the U.S.

Facts about Melilla Airport (MLN):

• Melilla Airport is an airport located 4 km southwest Melilla, Spain.
• The closest airport to Melilla Airport (MLN) is Cherif Al Idrissi Airport (AHU), which is located 50 miles (81 kilometers) W of MLN.
• Because of Melilla Airport's relatively low elevation of 156 feet, planes can take off or land at Melilla 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 Melilla Airport (MLN) is Great Barrier Aerodrome (GBZ), which is nearly antipodal to Melilla Airport (meaning Melilla Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Great Barrier Aerodrome), and is located 12,326 miles (19,837 kilometers) away in Great Barrier Island, New Zealand.
• Melilla Airport (MLN) currently has only 1 runway.
• Passengers can get and from the airport by car or taxi.
• The airlines serving the airport are regional carriers connecting to Spain to the north.
• In the past Melilla was also served by Spantax from 1969-1981, Aviaco from 1981-1992 and Binter Mediterraneo from 1992-2001.
• The airport does not handle large jets, but following the extension of the runway, the airlines serving the airport also use medium size jets airplanes, regional jets and turboprop airliners.
• In addition to being known as "Melilla Airport", another name for MLN is "Aeropuerto de Melilla".
• The new airport, Tauima Aerodrome, was opened for civilian flights 1931 and used also by the military.