Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Ciudad Real, Spain:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM), Ciudad Real, Spain would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,258 miles (or 8,463 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 Ciudad Real Central 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 Ciudad Real Central 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):

• That importance was further recognized when the F-15E Strike Eagle equipped 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron was reassigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base from Clark Air Base in the Philippines in May 1991.
• Construction on Elmendorf Field began on 8 June 1940, as a major and permanent military airfield near Anchorage.
• The uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• 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 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.

Facts about Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM):

• In 2012, Academy Award-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar shot portions of his film I'm So Excited!
• Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM) currently has only 1 runway.
• In April 2012, the airport was closed after just three years in operation, its management company having gone into receivership.
• The closest airport to Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM) is Córdoba Airport (ODB), which is located 84 miles (136 kilometers) SW of CQM.
• The furthest airport from Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM) is Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO), which is nearly antipodal to Ciudad Real Central Airport (meaning Ciudad Real Central Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō), and is located 12,428 miles (20,001 kilometers) away in Taupo, New Zealand.
• The Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling served the airport with flights to Barcelona El Prat Airport and Palma de Mallorca Airport, but flights to the airport ceased on 29 October 2011.
• In addition to being known as "Ciudad Real Central Airport", other names for CQM include "Aeropuerto Central Ciudad Real" and "CQM [1]".
• An episode of Top Gear aired on 14 July 2013 featuring Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond visiting the empty terminal building during a "budget convertible" challenge in Spain and racing a McLaren MP4-12C Spider, Audi R8 V10 Spider and Ferrari 458 Spider on the closed runway while being amazed at finding the entire airport deserted.