Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Managua, Nicaragua:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA), Managua, Nicaragua would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,659 miles (or 4,279 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 Augusto César Sandino 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 Augusto César Sandino 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.
• 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.
• Other enhancements include a new passenger terminal holding room that opened February 2008.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• After the war Santa Barbara County and the city of Santa Maria acquired the land and facilities through two grants in 1948.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• 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.
• 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 Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA):

• In addition to being known as "Augusto César Sandino International Airport", another name for MGA is "Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino".
• The closest airport to Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA) is Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) (LIR), which is located 115 miles (185 kilometers) SSE of MGA.
• Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Augusto César Sandino International Airport (MGA) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Augusto César Sandino International Airport (meaning Augusto César Sandino International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,234 miles (19,689 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• A large expansion programme was underway by 2003 and as of July 2006 the final phase was completed with 11 gates equipped with jetways, and room for 20 airplanes to park.
• Because of Augusto César Sandino International Airport's relatively low elevation of 194 feet, planes can take off or land at Augusto César Sandino International 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 expanded airport could serve three aircraft at once and by 1975 Lanica, the Airline of Nicaragua, as well as Taca, Sahsa, Avianca, Iberia, Pan Am, KLM, SAM, Varig, and smaller local carriers, flew into Las Mercedes.