Nonstop flight route between Portland, Maine, United States and Atwater, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from PWM to MER:
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- About this route
- PWM Airport Information
- MER Airport Information
- Facts about PWM
- Facts about MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to PWM
- List of Nearest Airports to PWM
- Map of Furthest Airports from PWM
- List of Furthest Airports from PWM
- Map of Nearest Airports to MER
- List of Nearest Airports to MER
- Map of Furthest Airports from MER
- List of Furthest Airports from MER
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Portland International Jetport (PWM), Portland, Maine, United States and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,634 miles (or 4,240 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 Portland International Jetport and Castle 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 Portland International Jetport and Castle Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PWM / KPWM |
Airport Name: | Portland International Jetport |
Location: | Portland, Maine, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°38'45"N by 70°18'33"W |
Area Served: | Portland, Maine |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 76 feet (23 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PWM |
More Information: | PWM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MER / KMER |
Airport Name: | Castle Airport |
Location: | Atwater, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°22'50"N by 120°34'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation, and Economic Development |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 191 feet (58 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MER |
More Information: | MER Maps & Info |
Facts about Portland International Jetport (PWM):
- In 1981 Air New England ceased operations and pulled out of the Jetport after 11 years.
- The closest airport to Portland International Jetport (PWM) is Naval Air Station Brunswick (NHZ), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NE of PWM.
- The furthest airport from Portland International Jetport (PWM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,705 miles (18,838 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Portland International Jetport (PWM) has 2 runways.
- In June 1983 United Airlines arrived in Portland, planning to be the only airline to serve 50 states.
- After Independence Air went bankrupt Portland had no low-cost carrier, causing fares to go up, and passenger numbers to decline.
- Peoplexpress Airlines arrived in 1983, the first jet competitor to Northeast/Delta at PWM.
- Because of Portland International Jetport's relatively low elevation of 76 feet, planes can take off or land at Portland International Jetport 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 airfield was founded in the late 1920s by Dr.
- In the wake of the September 11 attacks many U.S.
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- It serves one school, Sierra Academy of Aeronautics, which specializes in training foreign pilots, from the People's Republic of China.
- In 2004, recommendations were made to relocate the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard and its associated HC-130, MC-130 and HH-60 aircraft from Moffett Federal Airfield to the former Castle Air Force Base, now Castle Airport.
- Because of Castle Airport's relatively low elevation of 191 feet, planes can take off or land at Castle 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 Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.