Nonstop flight route between Santa Monica, California, United States and Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SMO to PDL:
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- About this route
- SMO Airport Information
- PDL Airport Information
- Facts about SMO
- Facts about PDL
- 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 PDL
- List of Nearest Airports to PDL
- Map of Furthest Airports from PDL
- List of Furthest Airports from PDL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica, California, United States and João Paulo II Airport (PDL), Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,967 miles (or 7,993 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 João Paulo II 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 João Paulo II 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: | PDL / LPPD |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°44'30"N by 25°41'52"W |
Area Served: | Ponta Delgada |
Operator/Owner: | Government of Portugal |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 259 feet (79 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from PDL |
More Information: | PDL Maps & Info |
Facts about Santa Monica Airport (SMO):
- In addition to being known as "Santa Monica Airport", other names for SMO include "Santa Monica Municipal Airport" and "Clover Field".
- In 2015, the City of Santa Monica's settlement agreement with the FAA concerning the airport expires.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Night Departure Curfew – No takeoffs or engine starts are permitted between 11 pm and 7 am Monday through Friday, or until 8 am on weekends.
- Santa Monica Airport (SMO) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about João Paulo II Airport (PDL):
- João Paulo II Airport handled 928,801 passengers last year.
- Because of João Paulo II Airport's relatively low elevation of 259 feet, planes can take off or land at João Paulo II 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 João Paulo II Airport (PDL) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to João Paulo II Airport (meaning João Paulo II Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,188 miles (19,615 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
- The closest airport to João Paulo II Airport (PDL) is Santa Maria Airport (SMA), which is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) SSE of PDL.
- João Paulo II Airport, named after Pope John Paul II, is an airport located on the island of São Miguel, 2 km west of the city dock of Ponta Delgada on the Azores in Portugal.
- In addition to being known as "João Paulo II Airport", another name for PDL is "Aeroporto João Paulo II".
- João Paulo II Airport (PDL) currently has only 1 runway.