Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Maseru, Lesotho:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SMX to MSU:
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- About this route
- SMX Airport Information
- MSU Airport Information
- Facts about SMX
- Facts about MSU
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMX
- List of Nearest Airports to SMX
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMX
- List of Furthest Airports from SMX
- Map of Nearest Airports to MSU
- List of Nearest Airports to MSU
- Map of Furthest Airports from MSU
- List of Furthest Airports from MSU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU), Maseru, Lesotho would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,537 miles (or 16,958 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 Moshoeshoe I 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 Moshoeshoe I International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMX / KSMX |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Santa Maria, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°53'56"N by 120°27'26"W |
Area Served: | Santa Maria, California |
Operator/Owner: | Santa Maria Public Airport District |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 261 feet (80 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SMX |
More Information: | SMX Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MSU / FXMM |
Airport Name: | Moshoeshoe I International Airport |
Location: | Maseru, Lesotho |
GPS Coordinates: | 29°27'43"S by 27°33'8"E |
Area Served: | Maseru, Lesotho |
Operator/Owner: | Department of Civil Aviation |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5348 feet (1,630 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from MSU |
More Information: | MSU Maps & Info |
Facts about Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):
- The airport was built by the United States Army during World War II, known as Santa Maria Army Air Field.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
Facts about Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU):
- Because of Moshoeshoe I International Airport's high elevation of 5,348 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MSU. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MSU a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The closest airport to Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU) is Mafeteng Airport (MFC), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) SW of MSU.
- The furthest airport from Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,801 miles (18,991 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU) has 2 runways.