Nonstop flight route between Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands and Valdez, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from AWK to VDZ:
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- About this route
- AWK Airport Information
- VDZ Airport Information
- Facts about AWK
- Facts about VDZ
- Map of Nearest Airports to AWK
- List of Nearest Airports to AWK
- Map of Furthest Airports from AWK
- List of Furthest Airports from AWK
- Map of Nearest Airports to VDZ
- List of Nearest Airports to VDZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from VDZ
- List of Furthest Airports from VDZ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Wake Island Airfield (AWK), Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands and Valdez Airport (VDZ), Valdez, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,674 miles (or 5,913 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 Wake Island Airfield and Valdez 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 Wake Island Airfield and Valdez Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | AWK / PWAK |
| Airport Name: | Wake Island Airfield |
| Location: | Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 19°16'56"N by 166°38'12"E |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 23 feet (7 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from AWK |
| More Information: | AWK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | VDZ / PAVD |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Valdez, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 61°8'2"N by 146°14'53"W |
| Area Served: | Valdez, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 121 feet (37 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from VDZ |
| More Information: | VDZ Maps & Info |
Facts about Wake Island Airfield (AWK):
- The closest airport to Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is Quoin Hill Airfield (UIQ), which is located 169 miles (272 kilometers) SE of AWK.
- The first intention to build an air base surfaced in 1935, when Pan American World Airways selected Wake Island as an intermediate support base for their routes to the Far East, especially the Philippines.
- Because of Wake Island Airfield's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Wake Island Airfield 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.
- Wake Island Airfield (AWK) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is located 11,652 miles (18,752 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
- After pioneering air service into Wake Island in 1935, Pan American World Airways continued to serve the airfield for many years.
- Another airline that operated into Wake Island was Philippine Airlines with Douglas DC-8 jetliners on a daily westbound service from San Francisco and Honolulu to Manila during the early 1970s.
Facts about Valdez Airport (VDZ):
- The closest airport to Valdez Airport (VDZ) is Tatitlek Airport (TEK), which is located 23 miles (38 kilometers) SW of VDZ.
- The furthest airport from Valdez Airport (VDZ) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,526 miles (16,940 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- Historically, the airport had scheduled passenger jet service provided by Alaska Airlines during the mid 1970s.
- Valdez Airport (VDZ) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Valdez Airport's relatively low elevation of 121 feet, planes can take off or land at Valdez 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.
- In addition to being known as "Valdez Airport", another name for VDZ is "Pioneer Field".
