Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Bunia, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Bunia Airport (BUX), Bunia, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,284 miles (or 14,940 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 Bunia 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 Bunia 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):

• 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.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• Besides the current Allegiant jet service, SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express via a code sharing agreement with United Airlines flies Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops and sometimes Bombardier CRJ-200 Regional Jet nonstop to Los Angeles that served the airport for many years.
• 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 airport was built by the United States Army during World War II, known as Santa Maria Army Air Field.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".

Facts about Bunia Airport (BUX):

• Bunia Airport (BUX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Bunia Airport (BUX) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is located 11,859 miles (19,085 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
• The closest airport to Bunia Airport (BUX) is Beni Airport (BNC), which is located 86 miles (138 kilometers) SW of BUX.
• Because of Bunia Airport's high elevation of 4,045 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at BUX. Combined with a high temperature, this could make BUX a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.