Nonstop flight route between Pinehurst / Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States and Manta, Manabí, Ecuador:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SOP to MEC:
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- About this route
- SOP Airport Information
- MEC Airport Information
- Facts about SOP
- Facts about MEC
- Map of Nearest Airports to SOP
- List of Nearest Airports to SOP
- Map of Furthest Airports from SOP
- List of Furthest Airports from SOP
- Map of Nearest Airports to MEC
- List of Nearest Airports to MEC
- Map of Furthest Airports from MEC
- List of Furthest Airports from MEC
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Moore County Airport (SOP), Pinehurst / Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States and Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC), Manta, Manabí, Ecuador would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,501 miles (or 4,026 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 Moore County Airport and Eloy Alfaro 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 Moore County Airport and Eloy Alfaro 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: | SOP / KSOP |
Airport Name: | Moore County Airport |
Location: | Pinehurst / Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 35°14'13"N by 79°23'27"W |
Operator/Owner: | Moore County |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 461 feet (141 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SOP |
More Information: | SOP Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MEC / SEMT |
Airport Name: | Eloy Alfaro International Airport |
Location: | Manta, Manabí, Ecuador |
GPS Coordinates: | 0°56'44"S by 80°40'42"W |
Operator/Owner: | Military of Ecuador |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 48 feet (15 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MEC |
More Information: | MEC Maps & Info |
Facts about Moore County Airport (SOP):
- Most of the Moore County Airport property lies within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Whispering Pines, NC, prompting debate over who had ultimate regulatory power over it — the village of Whispering Pines or the Moore County Airport Authority.
- On November 23, 2007, Delta Air Lines ended its seasonal service to Atlanta citing "poor load factors" and "insufficient facilities".
- Because of Moore County Airport's relatively low elevation of 461 feet, planes can take off or land at Moore County 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.
- Moore County Airport is a public airport located 3 miles north of Southern Pines and 5 miles northeast of Pinehurst, in Moore County, North Carolina, USA.
- The closest airport to Moore County Airport (SOP) is Mackall Army Airfield (HFF), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) SSW of SOP.
- Moore County Airport (SOP) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Moore County Airport (SOP) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,608 miles (18,682 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC):
- Until July 2009 a portion of the airport was used by the Air Forces Southern Air Force component of the United States Southern Command for operations against illegal cocaine trafficking in northwestern South America.
- The furthest airport from Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) is Aek Godang Airport (AEG), which is nearly antipodal to Eloy Alfaro International Airport (meaning Eloy Alfaro International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aek Godang Airport), and is located 12,405 miles (19,963 kilometers) away in Padang Sidempuan, Indonesia.
- Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) is Reales Tamarindos Airport (PVO), which is located only 16 miles (25 kilometers) ESE of MEC.
- Because of Eloy Alfaro International Airport's relatively low elevation of 48 feet, planes can take off or land at Eloy Alfaro 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.