Nonstop flight route between Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India and Atwater, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Vijayawada Airport (VGA), Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,464 miles (or 13,621 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 Vijayawada Airport and Castle 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 Vijayawada Airport and Castle 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 Vijayawada Airport (VGA):

• The closest airport to Vijayawada Airport (VGA) is Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD), which is located 156 miles (251 kilometers) WNW of VGA.
• The airfield served as an army base during the World War II and at that time only defense airlines were the one taking flights from here.
• In addition to being known as "Vijayawada Airport", other names for VGA include "Gannavaram Airport" and "VOBZ".
• The airport, which had only Kingfisher Airline operating two flights - one each to Hyderabad and Bangalore previously, now has six flights a day taking off to various destinations.
• The furthest airport from Vijayawada Airport (VGA) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,459 miles (18,441 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• Vijayawada Airport (VGA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Vijayawada Airport's relatively low elevation of 82 feet, planes can take off or land at Vijayawada 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 Castle Airport (MER):

• The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In 2004, recommendations were made to relocate the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard and its associated HC-130, MC-130 and HH-60 aircraft from Moffett Federal Airfield to the former Castle Air Force Base, now Castle Airport.
• Castle Airport is a public use airport located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Merced, a city in Merced County, California, United States.
• Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Castle Airport's relatively low elevation of 191 feet, planes can take off or land at Castle 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.
• It serves one school, Sierra Academy of Aeronautics, which specializes in training foreign pilots, from the People's Republic of China.
• The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
• The EPA currently has this base listed on their database due to the bulk wastes such as solvents, oils, fuels, and sludges which were disposed in pits at landfills around the base until 1977.
• With its central location in the San Joaquin Valley, on the route of the proposed California High-Speed Rail system, and with a large, underdeveloped site, Castle Airport has been submitted as a possible location for the central maintenance facility for the system.