Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Rostock, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG), Rostock, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,684 miles (or 9,147 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 Rostock–Laage 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 Rostock–Laage 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.
• 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.
• A 4,000-square-foot baggage claim facility opened in 2007.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• 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 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.
• After the war Santa Barbara County and the city of Santa Maria acquired the land and facilities through two grants in 1948.

Facts about Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG):

• Because of Rostock–Laage Airport's relatively low elevation of 138 feet, planes can take off or land at Rostock–Laage 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.
• Rostock–Laage Airport is the airport of Rostock, the largest city in the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern which is named after Laage, a town in the Rostock district.
• The nearest major international airports are Berlin Tegel Airport 190 kilometres to the south and Hamburg Airport 200 kilometres to the west.
• In addition to being known as "Rostock–Laage Airport", another name for RLG is "Flughafen Rostock–Laage".
• The closest airport to Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG) is Stralsund Barth Airport (BBH), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) NNE of RLG.
• Construction of the airport began in 1979 as a National People's Army facility.
• Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,635 miles (18,724 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.