Nonstop flight route between Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Hateruma, Okinawa, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Hateruma Airport (HTR), Hateruma, Okinawa, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,348 miles (or 11,826 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 Biggs Army Airfield and Hateruma 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 Biggs Army Airfield and Hateruma 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 Biggs Army Airfield (BIF):

• A period of organization and continued construction followed, with II Bomber Command taking over training.
• Enough construction was completed by the late summer of 1942, to allow the 303d Bombardment Group to began training with B-17Fs under Second Air Force on 7 August.
• Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) currently has only 1 runway.
• With the activation of TAC, the new command assigned Headquarters, Ninth Air Force to Biggs on 28 March upon its return from Germany.
• The furthest airport from Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,387 miles (18,325 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• By 1966, the introduction of the Titan and Atlas Intercontinental Strategic Ballistic Missiles into the US Strategic Inventory lessened the need for intercontinental strategic bombers.
• The closest airport to Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is El Paso International Airport (ELP), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) S of BIF.
• What is now Biggs Army Airfield started life in 1915 as an encampment at Fort Bliss, Texas for the 82d Field Artillery.
• In addition to being known as "Biggs Army Airfield", another name for BIF is "Biggs Air Force BaseBiggs Field".
• The 97th experienced two mission changes in 1955.

Facts about Hateruma Airport (HTR):

• Because of Hateruma Airport's relatively low elevation of 43 feet, planes can take off or land at Hateruma 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 Hateruma Airport (HTR) is Dr. Augusto Roberto Fuster International Airport (PJC), which is nearly antipodal to Hateruma Airport (meaning Hateruma Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dr. Augusto Roberto Fuster International Airport), and is located 12,336 miles (19,853 kilometers) away in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay.
• In addition to being known as "Hateruma Airport", other names for HTR include "波照間空港" and "Hateruma Kūkō".
• Hateruma Airport (HTR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Hateruma Airport (HTR) is Ishigaki Airport (ISG), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) NE of HTR.