Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Lusaka, Zambia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN), Lusaka, Zambia would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,085 miles (or 16,230 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 Kenneth Kaunda International 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 Kenneth Kaunda International 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.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• 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.
• 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 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).
• A 4,000-square-foot baggage claim facility opened in 2007.
• The original Allan Hancock Field was established in 1927 at another location, between Jones Street to the north, Stowell Road to the south, Bradley Road to the east and Miller Street to the west.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.

Facts about Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN):

• Kenneth Kaunda International Airport handled 787,000 passengers last year.
• Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Kenneth Kaunda International Airport", another name for LUN is "FLKK".
• The furthest airport from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is nearly antipodal to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (meaning Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Hilo International Airport), and is located 12,056 miles (19,402 kilometers) away in Hilo, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) is Kariba Airport (KAB), which is located 87 miles (140 kilometers) SSE of LUN.