Nonstop flight route between Blaine, Washington, United States and Catania, Italy:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Blaine Municipal Airport (BWS), Blaine, Washington, United States and Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY), Catania, Italy would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,929 miles (or 9,542 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 Blaine Municipal Airport and Naval Air Station Sigonella, 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 Blaine Municipal Airport and Naval Air Station Sigonella. 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 Blaine Municipal Airport (BWS):

• The closest airport to Blaine Municipal Airport (BWS) is Boundary Bay Airport (YDT), which is located only 14 miles (22 kilometers) WNW of BWS.
• The furthest airport from Blaine Municipal Airport (BWS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,691 miles (17,205 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In addition to being known as "Blaine Municipal Airport", another name for BWS is "4W6".
• Because of Blaine Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 75 feet, planes can take off or land at Blaine Municipal 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.
• Blaine Municipal Airport (BWS) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY):

• Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY) has 2 runways.
• On 1 April 2004, the Defense Logistics Agency opened Defense Depot Sigonella Italy on NAS II to serve as a supply base for the Mediterranean.
• The closest airport to Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY) is Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) ENE of NSY.
• It also serves as an Italian base for the 41º Stormo Antisom.
• From 1987 to 2002, there was a base housing development Villaggio Costanzo which was located in the village of Santa Maria La Stella, in the comune of Aci Sant'Antonio, and approximately 60 minutes from NAS I.
• One of Sigonella's first buildings was what is now the American Forces Network building.
• The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,695 miles (18,821 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• On the night of 10 October 1985, there were tense hours on NAS II when the Italian Carabinieri, Italian Air Force, and the US Army's Delta Force came close to firing upon one another following the interception by Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters of an Egyptian Boeing 737 airliner carrying the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, which had been commandeered by members of the PLO on 7 October.
• Because of Naval Air Station Sigonella's relatively low elevation of 79 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Air Station Sigonella 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.
• By the end of August 1959, the NAF II airfield was available for daylight flights under visual flight rules.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Sigonella", other names for NSY include "Base aerea di Sigonella" and "NAS Sigonella".