Nonstop flight route between Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Anuradhapura Airport (ACJ), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,916 miles (or 9,521 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 Anuradhapura 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 Anuradhapura 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 Anuradhapura Airport (ACJ):

• Because of Anuradhapura Airport's relatively low elevation of 292 feet, planes can take off or land at Anuradhapura 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 Anuradhapura Airport (ACJ) is Seymour Airport (GPS), which is located 11,598 miles (18,664 kilometers) away in Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
• The closest airport to Anuradhapura Airport (ACJ) is China Bay Airport (TRR), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) ENE of ACJ.
• Anuradhapura Airport (ACJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Anuradhapura Airport", another name for ACJ is "අනුරාධපුර ගුවන්තොටුපළஅனுராதபுரம் விமான நிலையம்".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• The base host squadron was re-designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962, and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported.