Nonstop flight route between Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from DIN to SYA:
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- About this route
- DIN Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about DIN
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to DIN
- List of Nearest Airports to DIN
- Map of Furthest Airports from DIN
- List of Furthest Airports from DIN
- 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 Dien Bien Phu Airport (DIN), Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,268 miles (or 6,869 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 Dien Bien Phu 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 Dien Bien Phu 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: | DIN / VVDB |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam |
GPS Coordinates: | 21°23'49"N by 103°0'28"E |
Operator/Owner: | Northern Airports Services Company |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1611 feet (491 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from DIN |
More Information: | DIN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
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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 Dien Bien Phu Airport (DIN):
- The furthest airport from Dien Bien Phu Airport (DIN) is Carolina Airport (CLN), which is located 11,998 miles (19,308 kilometers) away in Carolina, Maranhão, Brazil.
- In addition to being known as "Dien Bien Phu Airport", another name for DIN is "Sân bay Điện Biên Phủ".
- Dien Bien Phu Airport (DIN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Dien Bien Phu Airport (DIN) is Oudomsay Airport (ODY), which is located 82 miles (132 kilometers) SW of DIN.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- 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.
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- 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.
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
- The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
- 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.
- A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.