Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ), Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,362 miles (or 13,457 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj, 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 Civil Enclave Bhuj. 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.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• A 4,000-square-foot baggage claim facility opened in 2007.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The first airline to serve Santa Maria was Southwest Airways operating Douglas DC-3 prop aircraft.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.

Facts about Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ):

• The airport has an average of 4,039 passengers arriving and 3,636 passengers departing per month.
• The furthest airport from Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is nearly antipodal to Civil Enclave Bhuj (meaning Civil Enclave Bhuj is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mataveri International Airport), and is located 12,163 miles (19,574 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The closest airport to Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) is Kandla Airport (IXY), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) ESE of BHJ.
• Because of Civil Enclave Bhuj's relatively low elevation of 257 feet, planes can take off or land at Civil Enclave Bhuj 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.
• Civil Enclave Bhuj (BHJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 2004 the government installed a 22 acres "hill garden" between the city and the airport to promote tourism.
• In addition to being known as "Civil Enclave Bhuj", other names for BHJ include "Bhuj Rudra Mata Airport", "Bhuj Airport" and "Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Base".
• The airport was damaged in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and was renovated at a cost of 400 million.
• The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320, while the apron can accommodate two Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the same time.
• The airstrip was destroyed in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, in air strikes in which Pakistani bombers dropped napalm bombs.
• The airport has a single terminal that handles all arrivals and departures.
• The air traffic control unit of Bhuj airport controls and guides air traffic at Mundra airport, a private airport owned by the Adani group, located about 43 miles away.