Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Santa Maria, Portugal:
Departure Airport:
(47°57'39"N by 97°24'3"W)
Arrival Airport:
(36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W)
Distance from RDR to SMA:
3,621.39 miles (5,828.04 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- RDR Airport Information
- SMA Airport Information
- Facts about RDR
- Facts about SMA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RDR
- List of Nearest Airports to RDR
- Map of Furthest Airports from RDR
- List of Furthest Airports from RDR
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMA
- List of Nearest Airports to SMA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMA
- List of Furthest Airports from SMA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Santa Maria Airport (SMA), Santa Maria, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,621 miles (or 5,828 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Santa Maria 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Santa Maria Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RDR / KRDR |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 47°57'39"N by 97°24'3"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from RDR |
| More Information: | RDR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMA / LPAZ |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Santa Maria, Portugal |
| GPS Coordinates: | 36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W |
| Area Served: | Vila do Porto |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Portugal |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 308 feet (94 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMA |
| More Information: | SMA Maps & Info |
Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):
- In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
- With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in 1992, the wing transferred to Air Combat Command, then came under Air Force Space Command in 1993.
- In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
- On 1 September 1958, the Strategic Air Command established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
- The closest airport to Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of RDR.
- The furthest airport from Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,504 miles (16,904 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Santa Maria Airport (SMA):
- The closest airport to Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is João Paulo II Airport (PDL), which is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) NNW of SMA.
- Because of Santa Maria Airport's relatively low elevation of 308 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria 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.
- Santa Maria Airport (SMA) currently has only 1 runway.
- The airport at Santa Maria was part of a larger complex of buildings and infrastructures constructed in the 20th century.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Airport", another name for SMA is "Aeroporto de Santa Maria".
- The furthest airport from Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is Moruya Airport (MYA), which is nearly antipodal to Santa Maria Airport (meaning Santa Maria Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Moruya Airport), and is located 12,166 miles (19,579 kilometers) away in Moruya, New South Wales, Australia.
- Santa Maria Airport handled 93,436 passengers last year.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10.44 miles (16.81 km) E | Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |     |
| 2 | 37.05 miles (59.62 km) ESE | Crookston Municipal Airport (CKN) | Crookston, Minnesota, United States | |
| 3 | 56.67 miles (91.20 km) E | Thief River Falls Regional Airport (TVF) | Thief River Falls, Minnesota, United States | |
| 4 | 68.20 miles (109.76 km) N | Pembina Municipal Airport (PMB) | Pembina, North Dakota, United States | |
| 5 | 70.43 miles (113.35 km) W | Devils Lake Regional Airport (DVL) | Devils Lake, North Dakota, United States | |
| 6 | 76.92 miles (123.79 km) SSE | Hector International Airport (FAR) | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | |
| 7 | 92.95 miles (149.59 km) SW | Jamestown Regional Airport (JMS) | Jamestown, North Dakota, United States | |
| 8 | 105.78 miles (170.23 km) SE | Detroit Lakes Airport (DTL) | Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, United States | |
| 9 | 115.91 miles (186.54 km) NE | Warroad International Memorial Airport (RRT) | Warroad, Minnesota, United States | |
| 10 | 118.75 miles (191.11 km) ESE | Bemidji Regional Airport (BJI) | Bemidji, Minnesota, United States | |
| 11 | 124.36 miles (200.14 km) SSE | Harry Stern Airport (WAH) | Wahpeton, North Dakota, United States | |
| 12 | 129.78 miles (208.86 km) SSE | Fergus Falls Municipal Airport (FFM) | Fergus Falls, Minnesota, United States | |
| 13 | 134.85 miles (217.03 km) N | Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG) | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 14 | 138.60 miles (223.05 km) ENE | Baudette International Airport (BDE) | Baudette, Minnesota, United States | |
| 15 | 139.90 miles (225.15 km) NNW | Portage la Prairie/Southport Airport (YPG) | Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10,503.85 miles (16,904.27 km) WSW | Margaret River Airport (MGV) | Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 2 | 10,479.86 miles (16,865.66 km) WSW | Busselton Regional Airport (BQB) | Busselton, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 3 | 10,472.61 miles (16,853.99 km) WSW | Manjimup Airport (MJP) | Manjimup, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 4 | 10,453.90 miles (16,823.87 km) WSW | Bunbury Airport (BUY) | Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 5 | 10,427.01 miles (16,780.60 km) WSW | Albany Airport (ALH) | Albany, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 6 | 10,397.22 miles (16,732.65 km) WSW | Rottnest Airport (RTS) | Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 7 | 10,386.62 miles (16,715.61 km) WSW | Jandakot Airport (JAD) | Jandakot, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 8 | 10,380.61 miles (16,705.93 km) WSW | Katanning Airport (KNI) | Katanning, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 9 | 10,375.61 miles (16,697.88 km) WSW | Perth Airport (PER) | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 10 | 10,336.89 miles (16,635.57 km) WSW | Jurien Bay Airport (JUR) | Jurien Bay, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 11 | 10,276.91 miles (16,539.04 km) WSW | Geraldton Airport (GET) | Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 12 | 10,242.01 miles (16,482.88 km) WSW | Morawa Airport (MWB) | Morawa, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 13 | 10,239.13 miles (16,478.24 km) WSW | Kalbarri Airport (KAX) | Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 14 | 10,226.99 miles (16,458.70 km) WSW | Mullewa Airport (MXU) | Mullewa, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 15 | 10,211.16 miles (16,433.23 km) SE | Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) | Rodrigues Island, Mauritius | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 60.44 miles (97.26 km) NNW | João Paulo II Airport (PDL) | Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal | |
| 2 | 161.94 miles (260.61 km) NW | Lajes Air Base (TER) | Lajes, Azores, Portugal | |
| 3 | 209.34 miles (336.90 km) WNW | Pico Airport (PIX) | Pico Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 4 | 213.54 miles (343.67 km) NW | Graciosa Airport (GRW) | Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 5 | 221.17 miles (355.94 km) WNW | Horta International Airport (HOR) | Horta, Azores, Portugal | |
| 6 | 366.19 miles (589.32 km) WNW | Flores Airport (FLW) | Flores Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 7 | 371.97 miles (598.63 km) WNW | Corvo Airport (CVU) | Corvo Island, Azores, Portugal | |
| 8 | 560.01 miles (901.25 km) ESE | Madeira Airport (FNC) | Funchal, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 9 | 566.98 miles (912.46 km) ESE | Porto Santo Airport (PXO) | Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal | |
| 10 | 719.25 miles (1,157.51 km) SE | La Palma Airport (SPC) | La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 11 | 771.87 miles (1,242.20 km) SE | La Gomera Airport (GMZ) | Alajeró / San Sebastián, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 12 | 778.68 miles (1,253.16 km) SE | Tenerife North Airport (TFN) | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 13 | 793.97 miles (1,277.77 km) SE | Tenerife-South Airport (TFS) | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 14 | 844.99 miles (1,359.87 km) SE | Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) | Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| 15 | 869.00 miles (1,398.51 km) SE | Lanzarote Airport (ACE) | Arrecife, Canary Islands, Spain | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 12,166.03 miles (19,579.28 km) ESE | Moruya Airport (MYA) | Moruya, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 2 | 12,164.68 miles (19,577.11 km) E | Merimbula Airport (MIM) | Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 3 | 12,155.61 miles (19,562.50 km) SE | Illawarra Regional Airport (WOL) | Shellharbour, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 4 | 12,143.59 miles (19,543.17 km) SE | Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) | Mascot (near Sydney), Australia | |
| 5 | 12,135.02 miles (19,529.37 km) SE | Bankstown Airport (BWU) | Bankstown (near Sydney), New South Wales, Australia | |
| 6 | 12,128.04 miles (19,518.13 km) SE | Camden Aerodrome (CDU) | Camden, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 7 | 12,113.81 miles (19,495.24 km) ESE | Goulburn Airport (GUL) | Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 8 | 12,112.40 miles (19,492.97 km) SE | Belmont Airport (BEO) | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 9 | 12,102.07 miles (19,476.35 km) ESE | Canberra Airport (CBR) | Canberra, Australia | |
| 10 | 12,101.93 miles (19,476.12 km) SSE | Newcastle Airport (NTL) | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 11 | 12,086.58 miles (19,451.41 km) SE | Cessnock Airport (CES) | Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 12 | 12,086.22 miles (19,450.83 km) SSE | Maitland Airport (MTL) | Maitland, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 13 | 12,054.69 miles (19,400.10 km) SE | Bathurst Airport (BHS) | Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 14 | 12,047.90 miles (19,389.17 km) E | Corryong Airport (CYG) | Corryong, Victoria, Australia | |
| 15 | 12,038.04 miles (19,373.30 km) SSE | Port Macquarie Airport (PQQ) | Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia | |