Nonstop flight route between Buta Zega, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Buta Zega Airport (BZU), Buta Zega, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,206 miles (or 13,206 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 Buta Zega 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 Buta Zega 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 Buta Zega Airport (BZU):

• Buta Zega Airport (BZU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Buta Zega Airport (BZU) is Yangambi Airport (YAN), which is located 141 miles (228 kilometers) S of BZU.
• The furthest airport from Buta Zega Airport (BZU) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is nearly antipodal to Buta Zega Airport (meaning Buta Zega Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cassidy International Airport), and is located 12,073 miles (19,430 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.

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.
• The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• On 27 January 1992 the 5073rd Air Base Group located at Shemya AFB was re-designated as the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force 673d Air Base Group.
• 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 "  ".
• By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.