Nonstop flight route between Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Nadi, Fiji:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands and Nadi International Airport (NAN), Nadi, Fiji would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,475 miles (or 13,639 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 Princess Juliana International Airport and Nadi 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 Princess Juliana International Airport and Nadi International 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 Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM):

• Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called "risk flights".
• If traffic develops as forecast, Phase III of the masterplan will be executed, consisting of an extension of the new terminal building and the construction of a full parallel taxiway system.
• The furthest airport from Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) is Karratha Airport (KTA), which is nearly antipodal to Princess Juliana International Airport (meaning Princess Juliana International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Karratha Airport), and is located 12,252 miles (19,718 kilometers) away in Karratha / Dampier, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Princess Juliana International Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Princess Juliana 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.
• Runway 10/28 was renumbered from 09/27 in late 2008.
• Arriving aircraft approach the island on the last section of the final approach for Runway 10, following a 3° glide slope flying low over the famous Maho Beach.
• The closest airport to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) is L'Espérance Airport Grand Case Airport (CCE), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) NE of SXM.
• Princess Juliana International Airport serves the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin.

Facts about Nadi International Airport (NAN):

• Nadi International Airport (NAN) has 2 runways.
• Nadi was selected as the major airport for Fiji mainly due to its location on the drier west coast of Viti Levu.
• Because of Nadi International Airport's relatively low elevation of 59 feet, planes can take off or land at Nadi 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.
• In 2008, a Qantas Airbus A380 had to make an emergency landing to disembark a sick passenger, showing that whilst not certified, the facilities at Nadi are sufficient to cater for the largest civilian aeroplane in the world.
• The closest airport to Nadi International Airport (NAN) is Mana Island Airport (MNF), which is located 23 miles (38 kilometers) WNW of NAN.
• The original airstrips at Nadi were built by New Zealand from August 1939, being completed in March 1940, and were paid for by the British colonial authorities.
• The Civil Aviation Authority of the Fiji Islands head office is at Nadi Airport.Air Pacific has its head office in the Air Pacific Maintenance & Administration Centre at the airport.
• Today, the largest concentration of hotels in Fiji has grown up in and around Nadi.
• Arrivals and departures are much preferred to be to the south, due to the closeness of the Sabeto mountain range to the immediate north of the airport.
• The furthest airport from Nadi International Airport (NAN) is Timbuktu Airport (TOM), which is nearly antipodal to Nadi International Airport (meaning Nadi International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Timbuktu Airport), and is located 12,360 miles (19,891 kilometers) away in Timbuktu, Mali.
• Nadi is the operational base for Fiji Airways, which services six airports throughout the southwest Pacific, and many more on the Pacific Rim.
• Then, as now, Fiji was the crossroads of the Pacific – and in those days was even more important as a refuelling stop.