Nonstop flight route between Rotterdam, Netherlands and San Diego, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), Rotterdam, Netherlands and San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Diego, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,606 miles (or 9,022 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 Rotterdam The Hague Airport and San Diego International 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 Rotterdam The Hague Airport and San Diego International 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 Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM):

• After World War II, the Dutch government decided that a second national airport was needed in addition to Schiphol.
• Rotterdam The Hague Airport handled 159,014 passengers last year.
• Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) currently has only 1 runway.
• Rotterdam The Hague Airport, located 3 NM north northwest of Rotterdam, is the Netherlands' third largest airport.
• The closest airport to Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) is Valkenburg Naval Air Base (LID), which is located only 15 miles (23 kilometers) N of RTM.
• Because of Rotterdam The Hague Airport's relatively low elevation of -14 feet, planes can take off or land at Rotterdam The Hague 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 Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,872 miles (19,107 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The route with the longest continual service, to London Heathrow and operated by KLM Cityhopper, was suspended in 2008.
• The name of the airport was changed from Zestienhoven to Rotterdam Airport and finally in 2010 to its current Rotterdam The Hague Airport.

Facts about San Diego International Airport (SAN):

• Because of San Diego International Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at San Diego 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.
• San Diego International is the busiest single-runway commercial airport in the United States, and the second-busiest single-use runway in the world after London Gatwick with about 550 departures and arrivals carrying 50,000 passengers each day, and a total of 17,250,269 passengers in 2012.
• In addition to being known as "San Diego International Airport", another name for SAN is "Lindbergh Field".
• The airport was the first federally certified airfield to serve all aircraft types, including seaplanes.
• The furthest airport from San Diego International Airport (SAN) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,540 miles (18,571 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Terrain east and west of the airport greatly impacts the available runway length.
• British Airways resumed nonstop service to London Heathrow Airport on June 1, 2011 with Boeing 777-200ERs.
• The closest airport to San Diego International Airport (SAN) is NAS North Island (NZY), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of SAN.
• San Diego International Airport (SAN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport is near the site of the Ryan Airlines factory, but it is not the same as Dutch Flats, the Ryan airstrip where Charles Lindbergh flight tested the Spirit of St.