Nonstop flight route between Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hanzhong Xiguan Airport (HZG), Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,512 miles (or 5,652 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 Hanzhong Xiguan Airport and Eareckson Air Station, 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 Hanzhong Xiguan Airport and Eareckson Air Station. 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 Hanzhong Xiguan Airport (HZG):

• During World War II, the airport was known as Hanchung Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign.
• The furthest airport from Hanzhong Xiguan Airport (HZG) is Viña del Mar Airport (KNA), which is nearly antipodal to Hanzhong Xiguan Airport (meaning Hanzhong Xiguan Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Viña del Mar Airport), and is located 12,349 miles (19,873 kilometers) away in Viña del Mar, Chile.
• The closest airport to Hanzhong Xiguan Airport (HZG) is Guangyuan Airport (GYS), which is located 89 miles (143 kilometers) WSW of HZG.
• The airport has a runway that is 1,800 meters long and 30 meters wide, and a 600-meter terminal building.
• In addition to being known as "Hanzhong Xiguan Airport", other names for HZG include "汉中西关机场" and "Hànzhōng Xiguān Jīchǎng".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• The closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
• The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• Because of Eareckson Air Station's relatively low elevation of 97 feet, planes can take off or land at Eareckson Air Station 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.
• By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
• The furthest airport from Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,668 miles (17,168 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.