Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Kleyate / Tripoli, Lebanon:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE), Kleyate / Tripoli, Lebanon would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,401 miles (or 11,910 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 Rene Mouawad Air Base, 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 Rene Mouawad Air Base. 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 first airline to serve Santa Maria was Southwest Airways operating Douglas DC-3 prop aircraft.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• The extended primary runway at Santa Maria is paved to 8,004 feet, giving the airport the longest civil runway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the central coast and Vandenberg AFB's runway are longer).

Facts about Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE):

• The closest airport to Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE) is Bassel al-Assad International Airport (LTK), which is located 56 miles (90 kilometers) N of KYE.
• In addition to being known as "Rene Mouawad Air Base", another name for KYE is "مطار الرئيس الشهيد رينيه معوض".
• In the 1990s Middle East Airlines ran flights between this air base and Beirut to serve Tripoli and the surrounding area.
• Because of Rene Mouawad Air Base's relatively low elevation of 75 feet, planes can take off or land at Rene Mouawad Air Base 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.
• On January 2012, the Lebanese cabinet announced plans to restore the airport so that it will be used for cargo and low cost airlines.
• Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,486 miles (18,484 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.