Nonstop flight route between Bologna, Italy and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ), Bologna, Italy and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,641 miles (or 9,078 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 Bologna Guglielmo Marconi 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 Bologna Guglielmo Marconi 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 Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ):

• Bologna airport has one runway made of bituminous conglomerate material, with 7.5-meter-wide side bands on both sides.
• Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport handled 6,193,783 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (meaning Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,050 miles (19,392 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) is Forlì Airport (FRL), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) ESE of BLQ.
• Because of Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport's relatively low elevation of 123 feet, planes can take off or land at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi 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 Airport is about 6 kilometres from Bologna Centrale railway station, one of the most important railway stations in Italy.
• In addition to being known as "Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport", another name for BLQ is "Aeroporto di Bologna-Guglielmo Marconi".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• 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.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
• 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.
• 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.