Nonstop flight route between Bratsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bratsk Airport (BTK), Bratsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,777 miles (or 4,470 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 Bratsk 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 Bratsk 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 Bratsk Airport (BTK):

• The closest airport to Bratsk Airport (BTK) is Ust-Ilimsk (UIK), which is located 126 miles (203 kilometers) NNE of BTK.
• Bratsk Airport is an airport in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia located 8 kilometres north of Bratsk.
• In addition to being known as "Bratsk Airport", another name for BTK is "Аэропорт Братск".
• The 350 IAP arrived in 1984 with a number of Tupolev Tu-128 aircraft.
• Bratsk Airport (BTK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Bratsk Airport (BTK) is Presidente Carlos Ibáñez International Airport (PUQ), which is nearly antipodal to Bratsk Airport (meaning Bratsk Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Presidente Carlos Ibáñez International Airport), and is located 12,060 miles (19,408 kilometers) away in Punta Arenas, Chile.
• Bratsk airport serves as a diversion airport on Polar route 2.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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 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.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.