Nonstop flight route between Pago Pago, American Samoa and Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Pago Pago International Airport (PPG), Pago Pago, American Samoa and JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL), Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,181 miles (or 11,556 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 JB MDL Lakehurst, 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 JB MDL Lakehurst. 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):

• 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.
• Towards the end of its peak commercial passenger aviation period, Pago Pago International Airport also became an ideal refueling stopover for cargo carriers due to the low cost of fuel and landing fees at the time.
• The American Samoan government is looking into legal means to overcome current US cabotage rules that forbid foreign carriers from entering and serving the Pago Pago – Honolulu or Pago Pago – Los Angeles routes.
• On October 13 and 19, 2009, the world's largest and heaviest aircraft, the Antonov An-225 landed at Pago Pago International Airport to deliver emergency power generation equipment during the 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami.
• Runway 09/27 was the primary commercial runway for aircraft in the 1950s and early 1960s.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) is Ofu Airport (OFU), which is located 69 miles (112 kilometers) E of PPG.
• It was also used for inter island air service between Faleolo, Western Samoa and Pago Pago in 1959 by newly formed, Apia-based Polynesian Airlines and short-lived, Pago Pago-based Samoa Airways using ex-military Douglas C-47B-45-DK type aircraft.

Facts about JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL):

• Also known as Maxfield Field, the host unit at Lakehurst is the United States Air Force 87th Air Base Wing.
• The closest airport to JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL) is Ocean County Airport (MJX), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) SSE of NEL.
• The Lakehurst portion of JB MDL includes activities of the Naval Air Systems Command and is part of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Complex.
• Prior to this event, NAS Lakehurst was the center of airship development in the United States and housed three of the U.S.
• The Navy's lighter-than-air program was conducted at Lakehurst through the 1930s.
• The furthest airport from JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,767 miles (18,936 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.