Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Alderney, Channel Islands, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Alderney Airport (ACI), Alderney, Channel Islands, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,480 miles (or 8,819 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 Public Airport and Alderney 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 Public Airport and Alderney 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 Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):

• At one point during the early 1980's Swift Aire Lines, which was based at the nearby San Luis Obispo Airport, was the only airline flying nonstop between Santa Maria and Los Angeles, primarily with Fokker F27 Friendship turboprops which the carrier had purchased new from the manufacturer.
• Santa Maria Public Airport is three miles south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• The closest airport to Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SSW of SMX.
• The furthest airport from Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,466 miles (18,453 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• Other enhancements include a new passenger terminal holding room that opened February 2008.
• Because of Santa Maria Public Airport's relatively low elevation of 261 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria Public 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 Alderney Airport (ACI):

• The book documents a previously unpublicised aspect of the island's history, was published by Amberley Publishing in summer 2010.
• The furthest airport from Alderney Airport (ACI) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,999 miles (19,310 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• In July 2013, airline Aurigny announced that from September it will launch direct flights to Jersey on a trial basis for a period of six weeks.
• Because of Alderney Airport's relatively low elevation of 290 feet, planes can take off or land at Alderney 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.
• Alderney Airport (ACI) has 3 runways.
• The closest airport to Alderney Airport (ACI) is Guernsey Airport (GCI), which is located 26 miles (41 kilometers) SW of ACI.
• The terminal building, erected in 1968, contains an arrivals room and a departure lounge, with a check-in desk for the airport's only scheduled airline, Aurigny Air Services.
• Alderney Airport is the only airport on the island of Alderney.