Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Maiquetía (near Caracas), Venezuela:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (CCS), Maiquetía (near Caracas), Venezuela would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,338 miles (or 8,591 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base and Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport, 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base and Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport. 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• Despite a diminished number of personnel and aircraft, a turning point in Elmendorf's history occurred in 1970 with the arrival of the 43d Tactical Fighter Squadron in June 1970 from MacDill AFB, Florida.
• Air defense forces reached their zenith in 1957 with almost 200 fighter aircraft assigned to six fighter interceptor squadrons located at Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB.
• The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• On 22 September 1995, a Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne early warning and control aircraft with 22 USAF personnel and two Canadian air crew members crashed after ingesting a flock of Canada Geese, killing all on board.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• The Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program announced on 13 May 2005.

Facts about Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (CCS):

• In addition to being known as "Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport", another name for CCS is "Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar"".
• Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (CCS) has 2 runways.
• From 1960 to 1997, it was the main hub for Viasa, Venezuela's former flag carrier till it went bankrupt.
• The furthest airport from Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (CCS) is Blimbingsari Airport (BWX), which is nearly antipodal to Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (meaning Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Blimbingsari Airport), and is located 12,254 miles (19,721 kilometers) away in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java, Java Island, Indonesia.
• In the 1970s an international terminal was constructed to offer increased capacity with a domestic terminal opening in the 1980s.
• Because of Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport's relatively low elevation of 235 feet, planes can take off or land at Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International 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.
• The closest airport to Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (CCS) is El Libertador (MYC), which is located 49 miles (78 kilometers) SW of CCS.