Nonstop flight route between Silver City, New Mexico, United States and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grant County Airport (SVC), Silver City, New Mexico, United States and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,416 miles (or 7,108 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 Grant County Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Grant County Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Grant County Airport (SVC):

• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 2,607 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 1,860 enplanements in 2009, and 1,501 in 2010.
• The furthest airport from Grant County Airport (SVC) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,404 miles (18,353 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Grant County Airport covers an area of 740 acres at an elevation of 5,446 feet above mean sea level.
• Grant County Airport (SVC) has 4 runways.
• The closest airport to Grant County Airport (SVC) is Deming Municipal AirportDeming Army Airfield (DMN), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) SE of SVC.
• Because of Grant County Airport's high elevation of 5,446 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SVC. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SVC a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• During the Portuguese Colonial War, from 1961 to 1975, the Air Force Hospital at Lajes operated as the main centre for treatment and rehabilitation of mutilated and heavy burned soldiers of the three services of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• The base also supports other NATO and non-NATO armed forces assets crossing the Atlantic for transport, VIP, exercise, relief or humanitarian duties.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• Today, Lajes continues to support transiting aircraft.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• The United States and the United Kingdom transferred control of Lajes to Portugal in 1946.
• Lajes Field also played a crucial role in Cold War politics.