Nonstop flight route between Ponce, Puerto Rico and El Aaiún (Laayoune), Morocco:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico and Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport (EUN), El Aaiún (Laayoune), Morocco would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,437 miles (or 5,531 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 Mercedita Airport and Hassan I Airport El Aaiún 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 Mercedita Airport and Hassan I Airport El Aaiún 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 Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• The takeoff/landing strip was then only 850 feet long by 50 feet wide.
• The furthest airport from Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Mercedita Airport (meaning Mercedita Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,201 miles (19,636 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• On July 1, 2011, a Cessna 185 that was supposed to land at Mercedita airport with a family of five on board, registration number N8438Q, crashed while on its way from Culebra.
• The first scheduled commercial flights at Mercedita occurred in 1965 when domestic flights started.
• In February 2009, Ponce mayor María Meléndez sought transfer of the airport from the Puerto Rico central government to the Ponce Municipal government amidst discontent with the bureaucracy at the central government that could be avoided if the airport was locally managed.
• The closest airport to Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ARE), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) NNW of PSE.
• During 2007, more passengers passed through the airport than the population of the entire city of Ponce itself.
• Mercedita Airport (PSE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Mercedita Airport's relatively low elevation of 29 feet, planes can take off or land at Mercedita 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 "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".
• In early 2010, members of the Ponce Chamber of Commerce strongly criticized the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and its director Alvaro Pilar Villagran after failure to execute on a legally binding agreement of November 2008, whereby the Ports Authority agreed to an investment of $8 million to build an airport drainage system needed as part of any additional expansion work.

Facts about Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport (EUN):

• In addition to being known as "Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport", other names for EUN include "Aeropuerto de El Aaiún" and "GMML/GSAI".
• The furthest airport from Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport (EUN) is Norfolk Island Airport (NLK), which is nearly antipodal to Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport (meaning Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Norfolk Island Airport), and is located 12,288 miles (19,776 kilometers) away in Norfolk Island, Australia.
• The closest airport to Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport (EUN) is Fuerteventura Airport (FUE), which is located 98 miles (158 kilometers) NNW of EUN.
• Because of Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport's relatively low elevation of 207 feet, planes can take off or land at Hassan I Airport El Aaiún 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.
• Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport handled 108,057 passengers last year.
• Hassan I Airport El Aaiún Airport (EUN) has 2 runways.