Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Gondar, Ethiopia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ), Gondar, Ethiopia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,855 miles (or 14,250 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 Gondar Atse Tewodros 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 Gondar Atse Tewodros 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 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.
• 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.
• A 4,000-square-foot baggage claim facility opened in 2007.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ):

• Gondar airport resides at an elevation of 1,994 metres above mean sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport", another name for GDQ is "የጎንደር ዓፄ ቴዎድሮስ የአየር ማረፊያ".
• The closest airport to Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ) is Debre Tabor Airport (DBT), which is located 59 miles (94 kilometers) SE of GDQ.
• Because of Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport's high elevation of 6,542 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GDQ. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GDQ a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (GDQ) is Raroia Airport (RRR), which is nearly antipodal to Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport (meaning Gondar Atse Tewodros Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Raroia Airport), and is located 12,193 miles (19,623 kilometers) away in Raroia, French Polynesia.