Nonstop flight route between Akrotiri, Cyprus and Beef Island (near Tortola), British Virgin Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Akrotiri (AKT), Akrotiri, Cyprus and Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS), Beef Island (near Tortola), British Virgin Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,912 miles (or 9,515 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 RAF Akrotiri and Terrance B. Lettsome International 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 RAF Akrotiri and Terrance B. Lettsome International 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 RAF Akrotiri (AKT):

• The furthest airport from RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,556 miles (18,598 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• In addition to being known as "RAF Akrotiri", another name for AKT is ""Aki"".
• In August 1970 a detachment of "G" of the Central Intelligence Agency arrived at the airfield with U-2 aircraft to monitor the Egypt/Israel Suez Canal fighting and cease fire.
• In the mid-1980s, the US launched retaliatory attacks against Libya after the country's leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi, was implicated in terrorist attacks against US military bases.
• The station commander is double-hatted and is also the officer commanding the Akrotiri or Western Sovereign Base Area, reporting to the commander of British Forces Cyprus who is also the Administrator.
• In September 1976 the US U-2 operations were turned over to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, but the U-2 operation at RAF Akrotiri continued to be called Operating Location OH until September 1980.
• The closest airport to RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Paphos International Airport (PFO), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) WNW of AKT.
• The U-2s of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing were used in Operation Cedar Sweep to fly surveillance over Lebanon, relaying information about Hezbollah militants to Lebanese authorities, and in Operation Highland Warrior to fly surveillance over Turkey and northern Iraq to relay information to Turkish authorities.
• After the Suez Crisis, the main emphasis of life on the airfield shifted to helping quell the EOKA revolt and training missions.

Facts about Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS):

• The closest airport to Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) is Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) W of EIS.
• Because of Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Terrance B. Lettsome 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.
• Historically, in 1986 the airport had scheduled passenger jet service operated by British Caribbean Airways with direct flights to Miami.
• Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (meaning Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,270 miles (19,746 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.