Nonstop flight route between Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Barrow/Walney Island Airport (BWF), Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,053 miles (or 8,132 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 Barrow/Walney Island 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 Barrow/Walney Island 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 Barrow/Walney Island Airport (BWF):

• Below are the destinations flown to by the BAE corporate shuttle.
• The closest airport to Barrow/Walney Island Airport (BWF) is Blackpool International Airport (BLK), which is located 27 miles (43 kilometers) SSE of BWF.
• During the early 20th century at a site 1 mile south west of Barrow/Walney Island Airport was the site of one of the UK's most important airship production facilities.
• Because of Barrow/Walney Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 44 feet, planes can take off or land at Barrow/Walney Island 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.
• In 2004 a study into the airport revealed that a £1 million upgrade would attract thousands of business passengers a year flying to London and Europe.
• Barrow/Walney Island Airport (BWF) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Barrow/Walney Island Airport (BWF) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,811 miles (19,007 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• 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.
• In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
• Shemya has been the scene of two major earthquakes.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.