Nonstop flight route between Zamboanga City, Philippines and Ponce, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM), Zamboanga City, Philippines and Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,617 miles (or 17,086 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 Mercedita 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 Zamboanga International Airport and Mercedita 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 Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM):

• 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 (ZAM) currently has only 1 runway.
• Earlier, a consortium of international and local investors, offered to construct a modern airport in the city under a build-operate-transfer scheme.
• March 6, 2009 - Released the feasibility study of Zamboanga International Airport Development Project by the Department of Transportation and Communication.
• The airport, like all other international airports in the Philippines, has runway lights, which make it possible to support night landings.
• Subsequent improvements increased its capacity to hold flights.
• Due to the US-RP Agreement, the US Air force used the airport while the Balikatan exercises were held in the city.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM) is Ipil Airport (IPE), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) NNE of ZAM.
• Zamboanga International Airport handled 904,668 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Zamboanga International Airport", another name for ZAM is "Paliparang Pandaigdig ng ZamboangaAeropuerto Internacional de Zamboanga".
• 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.

Facts about Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• In February 2009, Ponce mayor María Meléndez sought transfer of the airport from the Puerto Rico central government to the Ponce Municipal government amidst discontent with the bureaucracy at the central government that could be avoided if the airport was locally managed.
• The first scheduled commercial flights at Mercedita occurred in 1965 when domestic flights started.
• The closest airport to Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ARE), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) NNW of PSE.
• Mercedita Airport (PSE) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 1949, however, it was determined that the runway of the Ponce Airport at the nearby Losey Field no longer met the newer and more stringent minimum airport safety requirements, and airport operations were suspended.
• Because of Mercedita Airport's relatively low elevation of 29 feet, planes can take off or land at Mercedita 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 furthest airport from Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Mercedita Airport (meaning Mercedita Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,201 miles (19,636 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• In the fall of 1992, the runway was extended to make it possible for American Airlines to run flights to Miami, Florida.
• On August 12, 1981, an Air Florida plane with 125 Haitian refugees aboard landed at Mercedita en route to the Fort Allen facility in Juana Diaz, part of the 1981 Haitian refugees exodus.
• In addition to being known as "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".