Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Skopje, Macedonia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Skopje Airport (SKP), Skopje, Macedonia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,609 miles (or 10,637 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 Skopje 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 Skopje 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• A runway extension opened on May 3, 2012, from 6,304 ft.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• Other enhancements include a new passenger terminal holding room that opened February 2008.

Facts about Skopje Airport (SKP):

• In December 2006 the government of the Republic of Macedonia announced plans to rename the airport after Alexander the Great, sparking a renewed diplomatic spat with Greece, because both countries consider Alexander the Great as part of their own heritage.
• The furthest airport from Skopje Airport (SKP) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,514 miles (18,530 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The first commercial flights in Skopje were introduced in 1929 when the Yugoslav carrier Aeroput introduced a route linking the city with the capital, Belgrade.
• Skopje Airport handled 98,440 passengers last year.
• In 2008 the Macedonian Government signed a contract with the Turkish company Tepe Akfen Ventures for a twenty-year long concession during which this company would manage Macedonia's two existing airports - the Skopje Alexander the Great Airport and the St.
• The closest airport to Skopje Airport (SKP) is Pristina International Airport "Adem Jashari" (PRN), which is located 52 miles (84 kilometers) NW of SKP.
• Because of Skopje Airport's relatively low elevation of 781 feet, planes can take off or land at Skopje 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.
• Skopje Airport (SKP) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Skopje Airport", other names for SKP include "Аеродром Скопје" and "Aerodrom Skopje".