Nonstop flight route between Arba Minch, Ethiopia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Arba Minch Airport (AMH), Arba Minch, Ethiopia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,649 miles (or 12,309 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 Arba Minch 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 Arba Minch 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 Arba Minch Airport (AMH):

• The closest airport to Arba Minch Airport (AMH) is Baco Airport (Jinka Airport) (BCO), which is located 73 miles (117 kilometers) WSW of AMH.
• Air Force notes in its 2012/13 annual survey of units that the 409th Air Expeditionary Group operates ISR aircraft from unspecified locations in the United States Air Forces Africa area of responsibility.
• Arba Minch Airport (AMH) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Arba Minch Airport (AMH) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is nearly antipodal to Arba Minch Airport (meaning Arba Minch Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Atuona Airport), and is located 12,090 miles (19,457 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• Shemya has been the scene of two major earthquakes.
• 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.
• 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.
• Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point, Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• 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.