Nonstop flight route between Sarasota, Florida (near Bradenton), United States and Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), Sarasota, Florida (near Bradenton), United States and Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST), Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,703 miles (or 7,569 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 Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport and Maastricht Aachen 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 Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport and Maastricht Aachen 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 Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ):

• Most airlines refer to the airport on destination maps and flight status displays as just "Sarasota", as that is the more widely known city.
• The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings per year.Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 657,157 enplanements in calendar year 2011, 2% less than in 2010.
• Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is Venice Municipal Airport (VNC), which is located 23 miles (38 kilometers) SSE of SRQ.
• The furthest airport from Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,436 miles (18,404 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• In January 2012 AirTran Airways announced that it would drop SRQ on August 12, 2012 as part of its merger with Southwest.
• Because of Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport's relatively low elevation of 30 feet, planes can take off or land at Sarasota–Bradenton 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.

Facts about Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST):

• Plans for an airport in southern Limburg date back as far as 1919, with various locations being considered.
• The closest airport to Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) is NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) ENE of MST.
• The furthest airport from Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,935 miles (19,207 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In March 2011, the airport was certified to handle the upcoming Boeing 747-8, as two of the airports major airlines Cargolux and AirBridge Cargo have placed orders for this aircraft.
• In 1981, a development plan for the airport recommended constructing a 3,500m east–west runway to facilitate growth in cargo operations, particularly during the night hours.
• The late 1950s and early 1960s brought significant expansion in commercial operations at the airport.
• Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) currently has only 1 runway.
• Maastricht Aachen Airport handled 36,300 passengers last year.
• As Nazi Germany was rapidly collapsing, the front was already well into Germany by the time the field was ready, and no direct combat sorties were operated from Y-44.
• Because of Maastricht Aachen Airport's relatively low elevation of 375 feet, planes can take off or land at Maastricht Aachen 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.