Nonstop flight route between Banjul, Gambia and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Banjul International Airport (BJL), Banjul, Gambia and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,686 miles (or 10,760 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 Banjul International Airport and Elmendorf Air Force Base, 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 Banjul International Airport and Elmendorf Air Force Base. 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 Banjul International Airport (BJL):

• The closest airport to Banjul International Airport (BJL) is Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG), which is located 60 miles (96 kilometers) SSE of BJL.
• The furthest airport from Banjul International Airport (BJL) is Kirakira Airport (IRA), which is nearly antipodal to Banjul International Airport (meaning Banjul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kirakira Airport), and is located 12,214 miles (19,657 kilometers) away in Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands.
• Banjul International Airport (BJL) currently has only 1 runway.
• List of airports in the Gambia
• In 2004, the airport served 967,719 passengers.
• Because of Banjul International Airport's relatively low elevation of 95 feet, planes can take off or land at Banjul 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.
• Banjul International Airport also known as Yundum International is the international airport of Banjul, capital of the Gambia.

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• On 28 July 2010, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft practicing for an upcoming airshow crashed into a wooded area within the base, killing all four air crew members.
• The Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program announced on 13 May 2005.
• The Elmendorf AFB is a site of one of the now decommissioned FLR-9 Wullenweber-class antennas, a node of the now obsolete High Frequency SIGINT direction finding system.
• The late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War.
• On 22 September 1995, a Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne early warning and control aircraft with 22 USAF personnel and two Canadian air crew members crashed after ingesting a flock of Canada Geese, killing all on board.