Nonstop flight route between Santa Monica, California, United States and Lamu, Kenya:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SMO to LAU:
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- About this route
- SMO Airport Information
- LAU Airport Information
- Facts about SMO
- Facts about LAU
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMO
- List of Nearest Airports to SMO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMO
- List of Furthest Airports from SMO
- Map of Nearest Airports to LAU
- List of Nearest Airports to LAU
- Map of Furthest Airports from LAU
- List of Furthest Airports from LAU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica, California, United States and Manda Airport (LAU), Lamu, Kenya would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,870 miles (or 15,884 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 Monica Airport and Manda 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 Monica Airport and Manda Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMO / KSMO |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Santa Monica, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°0'56"N by 118°27'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | City of Santa Monica |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 177 feet (54 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SMO |
More Information: | SMO Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | LAU / HKLU |
Airport Name: | Manda Airport |
Location: | Lamu, Kenya |
GPS Coordinates: | 2°14'45"S by 40°54'35"E |
Area Served: | Lamu |
Operator/Owner: | Government of Kenya |
Airport Type: | Public, Civilian |
Elevation: | 20 feet (6 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from LAU |
More Information: | LAU Maps & Info |
Facts about Santa Monica Airport (SMO):
- Clover Field was once the site of the Army's 40th Division Aviation, 115th Observation Squadron and became a Distribution Center after World War II.
- Typhoon is the only restaurant on the airport property with a runway view and Spitfire Grill is across on Airport Avenue.
- As the Santa Monica Airport is one of relatively few general aviation airports in the nation that is surrounded on all sides by dense residential development, the City of Santa Monica aggressively enforces one of the most stringent noise ordinances in the nation.
- Santa Monica Airport (SMO) currently has only 1 runway.
- In 1958, Donald Douglas asked the city to lengthen the airport's runway so that Douglas Aircraft could produce and test the DC-8 there.
- Because of Santa Monica Airport's relatively low elevation of 177 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Monica 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 2015, the City of Santa Monica's settlement agreement with the FAA concerning the airport expires.
- In addition to being known as "Santa Monica Airport", other names for SMO include "Santa Monica Municipal Airport" and "Clover Field".
- In addition, there are numerous recommended noise abatement procedures and limitations that have been incorporated into the Airport’s Fly Neighborly Program and included in the program’s outreach materials.
- The closest airport to Santa Monica Airport (SMO) is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSE of SMO.
- The furthest airport from Santa Monica Airport (SMO) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,484 miles (18,481 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
Facts about Manda Airport (LAU):
- Manda Airport, also called Lamu Airport is an airport in Kenya.
- The furthest airport from Manda Airport (LAU) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,607 miles (18,679 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
- Manda Airport (LAU) has 2 runways.
- Because of Manda Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Manda 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.
- Manda Airport is a small civilian airport on Manda Island, serving the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya.
- The closest airport to Manda Airport (LAU) is Kiwayu Airport (KWY), which is located 33 miles (53 kilometers) NE of LAU.