Nonstop flight route between Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and Kiev, Ukraine:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA), Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) (IEV), Kiev, Ukraine would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,139 miles (or 8,271 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 Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō and Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany), 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 Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō and Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany). 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 Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA):

• The designation of the wing changed on 1 October 1991 to the 18th Wing with the implementation of the Objective Wing concept.
• Beginning in 1961, the 18th was sending its tactical squadrons frequently to South Vietnam and Thailand, initially with its RF-101 reconnaissance forces, and beginning in 1964 with its tactical fighter forces supporting USAF combat missions in the Vietnam War.
• Since November 1954, the 18th Wing under various designations has been the main United States Air Force operational unit at Kadena.
• Twentieth Air Force became the command and control organization for Kadena on 16 May 1949.
• In addition to being known as "Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō", another name for DNA is "Kadena AFB".
• Kadena Air Base's history dates back to just before the 1 April 1945, Battle of Okinawa, when a local construction firm completed a small airfield named Yara Hikojo near the island's village of Kadena.
• The furthest airport from Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) is Paulo Abdala Airport (FBE), which is nearly antipodal to Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (meaning Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Paulo Abdala Airport), and is located 12,381 miles (19,926 kilometers) away in Francisco Beltrao, Paraná, Brazil.
• Kadena airfield was initially under the control of Seventh Air Force, however on 16 July 1945, Headquarters Eighth Air Force was transferred, without personnel, equipment, or combat elements to the town of Sakugawa, near Kadena from RAF High Wycombe England.
• The closest airport to Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) is Naha Airport (OKA), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SW of DNA.

Facts about Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) (IEV):

• The furthest airport from Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) (IEV) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,101 miles (17,865 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) (IEV) is Boryspil International Airport (KBP), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) ESE of IEV.
• Surrounded by major railways, highways and residential districts, the airport has limited possibilities to expand its runway.
• Ukrainian Air Force maintains a small training facility in the vicinity of the Zhuliany airport.
• Because of Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany)'s relatively low elevation of 587 feet, planes can take off or land at Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) 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 "Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany)", other names for IEV include "Міжнародний аеропорт "Київ" (Жуляни)" and "IEV[1]".
• Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) (IEV) currently has only 1 runway.
• After Ukraine gained independence in 1991, "Kyiv" airport began receiving international flights from nearby countries, increasingly so since the 2000s when Ukraine's civil aviation started booming.
• In 2012, the airport has managed to survive the European cold wave without major flight delays or cancellations.