Nonstop flight route between Zamboanga City, Philippines and Boca Chica Key, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM), Zamboanga City, Philippines and NAS Key West (NQX), Boca Chica Key, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,736 miles (or 15,669 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 Zamboanga International Airport and NAS Key West, 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 Zamboanga International Airport and NAS Key West. 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 Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM):

• There were plans to transfer the airport to a 104-hectare lot located between Barangays Talabaan and Taluksangay, possibly making it the largest airport in Mindanao.
• Earlier, a consortium of international and local investors, offered to construct a modern airport in the city under a build-operate-transfer scheme.
• Because of Zamboanga International Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Zamboanga 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.
• The closest airport to Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM) is Ipil Airport (IPE), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) NNE of ZAM.
• The furthest airport from Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM) is Itaituba Airport (ITB), which is nearly antipodal to Zamboanga International Airport (meaning Zamboanga International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Itaituba Airport), and is located 12,209 miles (19,648 kilometers) away in Itaituba, Pará, Brazil.
• Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Zamboanga International Airport", another name for ZAM is "Paliparang Pandaigdig ng ZamboangaAeropuerto Internacional de Zamboanga".
• The airport has one terminal and a 30,000 square-meter apron.
• The airport started off as Moret Field, an American airfield that was constructed from a rather poor Japanese airfield just north of Zamboanga.
• Zamboanga International Airport handled 904,668 passengers last year.

Facts about NAS Key West (NQX):

• The nation's southernmost Naval Base proved to be an ideal year-round training facility with rapid access to the open sea lanes and ideal flying conditions for Naval Aviation.
• The closest airport to NAS Key West (NQX) is Key West International Airport (EYW), which is located only 5 miles (7 kilometers) WSW of NQX.
• The furthest airport from NAS Key West (NQX) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,575 miles (18,629 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• By 1964, the USAF added an AN/FPS-6A height-finder radar at NAS Key West, which was modified to an AN/FPS-90 set when a second radar was added.
• NAS Key West (NQX) has 3 runways.
• Because of NAS Key West's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at NAS Key West 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.
• Due to its superb flying weather, NAS Key West has also hosted several permanent detachments of the fighter and strike fighter Fleet Replacement Squadrons at NAS Oceana, Virginia.
• On a broader scale, NAS Key West's national security mission supports operational and readiness requirements for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Air National Guard and Army National Guard units, other federal agencies, and allied military forces.
• By 1943, German submarines were operating so near Key West that they were sinking allied ships within sight of land.
• In addition to being known as "NAS Key West", other names for NQX include "Naval Air Station Key West" and "NQX[1]".