Nonstop flight route between Bassein, Myanmar (Burma) and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from BSX to SYA:
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- About this route
- BSX Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about BSX
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BSX
- List of Nearest Airports to BSX
- Map of Furthest Airports from BSX
- List of Furthest Airports from BSX
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Pathein Airport (BSX), Bassein, Myanmar (Burma) and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,856 miles (or 7,814 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 Pathein 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 Pathein 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BSX / VYPN |
Airport Name: | Pathein Airport |
Location: | Bassein, Myanmar (Burma) |
GPS Coordinates: | 16°48'55"N by 94°46'48"E |
Elevation: | 20 feet (6 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BSX |
More Information: | BSX Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Facts about Pathein Airport (BSX):
- The closest airport to Pathein Airport (BSX) is Yangon International Airport (RGN), which is located 90 miles (144 kilometers) E of BSX.
- Pathein Airport (BSX) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Pathein Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Pathein 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 Pathein Airport (BSX) is Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), which is located 11,801 miles (18,993 kilometers) away in Callao (near Lima), Peru.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- 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.
- With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".