Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Salamanca, Spain:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM), Salamanca, Spain would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,768 miles (or 9,282 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 Salamanca-Matacán 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 Salamanca-Matacán 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):

• 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.
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• A 4,000-square-foot baggage claim facility opened in 2007.
• Santa Maria Public Airport is three miles south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California.
• The airport was built by the United States Army during World War II, known as Santa Maria Army Air Field.
• During its use by the military Santa Maria AAF also controlled Estrella Army Airfield, near Paso Robles as an auxiliary airfield to support the pilot training activity.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM):

• Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM) has 2 runways.
• Salamanca-Matacán Airport handled 15,830 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM) is Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ), which is nearly antipodal to Salamanca-Matacán Airport (meaning Salamanca-Matacán Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kapiti Coast Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Salamanca-Matacán Airport", another name for SLM is "Aeropuerto de Salamanca-Matacán".
• The closest airport to Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM) is Valladolid International Airport (VLL), which is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) NNE of SLM.