Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, Portugal and Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:
(36°58'26"N by 25°10'15"W)
Arrival Airport:
(6°34'10"S by 146°43'33"E)
Distance from SMA to LAE:
10,274.90 miles (16,535.81 km)
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- About this route
- SMA Airport Information
- LAE Airport Information
- Facts about SMA
- Facts about LAE
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMA
- List of Nearest Airports to SMA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMA
- List of Furthest Airports from SMA
- Map of Nearest Airports to LAE
- List of Nearest Airports to LAE
- Map of Furthest Airports from LAE
- List of Furthest Airports from LAE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Airport (SMA), Santa Maria, Portugal and Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE), Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,275 miles (or 16,536 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 Santa Maria Airport and Lae Nadzab 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 Santa Maria Airport and Lae Nadzab Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LAE / AYNZ |
| Airport Name: | Lae Nadzab Airport |
| Location: | Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea |
| GPS Coordinates: | 6°34'10"S by 146°43'33"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Papua New Guinea Office of Civil Aviation |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 239 feet (73 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from LAE |
| More Information: | LAE Maps & Info |
Facts about Santa Maria Airport (SMA):
- Santa Maria Airport handled 93,436 passengers last year.
- It was built in the context of the Second World War, by US troops in order to maintain supply lines to Europe, and inaugurated on 26 July 1945.
- Santa Maria Airport is an airport located 5 km west northwest of the urbanized area of Vila do Porto on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria, in the autonomous region of the Azores.
- 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 (SMA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Airport", another name for SMA is "Aeroporto de Santa Maria".
- Along with the airports in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Flores, Horta, Ponta Delgada and Beja, the airport's concessions to provide support to civil aviation was conceded to ANA Aeroportos de Portugal on 18 December 1998, under provisions of decree 404/98.
- The closest airport to Santa Maria Airport (SMA) is João Paulo II Airport (PDL), which is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) NNW of SMA.
- A chartered Boeing 707-300, Independent Air Flight 1851 from Bergamo, Italy in 1989 crashed on approach to Santa Maria Airport, when it struck the Pico Alto mountain.
- 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.
Facts about Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE):
- Because of Lae Nadzab Airport's relatively low elevation of 239 feet, planes can take off or land at Lae Nadzab 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.
- Nadzab is located on the Erap River, 5 kilometres North of the Markham River.
- The closest airport to Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) is Bulolo Airport (BUL), which is located 45 miles (72 kilometers) S of LAE.
- The furthest airport from Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) is Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN), which is located 11,714 miles (18,852 kilometers) away in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil.
- In 1962, the main strip at Nadzab was resealed by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Works and lengthened to make it suitable for Mirage fighters, even though they never materialised.
- In about 1910 the Gabmatsung/Gabmazung Lutheran mission station was established at Nadzab.
- Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) currently has only 1 runway.
- Nazdab is located twenty-seven miles NW of Lae by road 900 yds by an indefinite width.
- Today, the former 'East Base' or No.
| 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 | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 44.97 miles (72.37 km) S | Bulolo Airport (BUL) | Bulolo, Papua New Guinea | |
| 2 | 58.68 miles (94.44 km) WNW | Aiyura Airport (AYU) | Aiyura, Papua New Guinea | |
| 3 | 63.54 miles (102.26 km) NW | Gusap Airport (GAP) | Gusap, Papua New Guinea | |
| 4 | 77.51 miles (124.73 km) E | Finschhafen Airport (FIN) | Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea | |
| 5 | 78.46 miles (126.27 km) WSW | Andakombe Airport (ADC) | Andakombe, Papua New Guinea | |
| 6 | 97.63 miles (157.12 km) WNW | Goroka Airport (GKA) | Goroka, Papua New Guinea | |
| 7 | 114.22 miles (183.82 km) NW | Madang Airport (MAG) | Madang, Papua New Guinea | |
| 8 | 116.43 miles (187.38 km) SW | Kerema Airport (KMA) | Kerema, Papua New Guinea | |
| 9 | 126.34 miles (203.32 km) WNW | Chimbu Airport (CMU) | Kundiawa, Papua New Guinea | |
| 10 | 129.27 miles (208.03 km) SW | Ihu Airport (IHU) | Ihu, Papua New Guinea | |
| 11 | 139.10 miles (223.85 km) S | Fane Airport (FNE) | Fane, Papua New Guinea | |
| 12 | 140.13 miles (225.51 km) ENE | Cape Gloucester Airport (CGC) | Cape Gloucester, Papua New Guinea | |
| 13 | 145.33 miles (233.89 km) WSW | Baimuru Airport (VMU) | Baimuru, Papua New Guinea | |
| 14 | 168.86 miles (271.75 km) NW | Aiome Airport (AIE) | Aiome, Papua New Guinea | |
| 15 | 174.08 miles (280.15 km) SSE | Kokoda Airport (KKD) | Kokoda, Papua New Guinea | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,714.18 miles (18,852.10 km) N | Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN) | Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil | |
| 2 | 11,635.23 miles (18,725.04 km) NNE | Pinto Martins – Fortaleza International Airport (FOR) | Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil | |
| 3 | 11,608.79 miles (18,682.49 km) NW | São Filipe Airport (SFL) | Fogo, Cape Verde | |
| 4 | 11,594.32 miles (18,659.20 km) NW | Mosteiros Airport (MTI) | Mosteiros, Cape Verde | |
| 5 | 11,576.38 miles (18,630.33 km) NNE | Gov. Dix-Sept Rosado Airport (MVF) | Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil | |
| 6 | 11,563.96 miles (18,610.34 km) N | Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT) | Natal, Brazil | |
| 7 | 11,560.62 miles (18,604.97 km) NE | Parnaíba–Prefeito Dr. João Silva Filho International Airport (PHB) | Parnaiba, Piaui, Brazil | |
| 8 | 11,557.57 miles (18,600.06 km) NW | Praia International Airport (RAI) | Praia, Cape Verde | |
| 9 | 11,536.25 miles (18,565.75 km) NW | Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE) | São Vicente, Cape Verde | |
| 10 | 11,532.99 miles (18,560.49 km) NW | Maio Airport (MMO) | Maio, Cape Verde | |
| 11 | 11,517.64 miles (18,535.79 km) NW | Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO) | Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde | |
| 12 | 11,516.19 miles (18,533.47 km) NE | Barreirinhas Airport (BRB) | Barreirinhas, Maranhão, Brazil | |
| 13 | 11,515.76 miles (18,532.78 km) NW | Preguiça Airport (SNE) | São Nicolau, Cape Verde | |
| 14 | 11,482.14 miles (18,478.67 km) S | Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA) | João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil | |
| 15 | 11,472.16 miles (18,462.61 km) NW | Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC) | Boa Vista, Cape Verde | |