Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Havana, Cuba:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and José Martí International Airport (HAV), Havana, Cuba would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,088 miles (or 6,579 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 José Martí 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 José Martí 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 late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War.
• 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.
• The Elmendorf AFB is a site of one of the now decommissioned FLR-9 Wullenweber-class antennas, a node of the now obsolete High Frequency SIGINT direction finding system.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• 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 José Martí International Airport (HAV):

• In addition to being known as "José Martí International Airport", another name for HAV is "Aeropuerto José Martí".
• In 1961 diplomatic relations with the United States deteriorated substantially and with the United States embargo against Cuba, airlines from the United States were not permitted to operate regular scheduled flights to the airport.
• 1These flights to the United States are operated as scheduled Special Authority Charters.
• The furthest airport from José Martí International Airport (HAV) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,689 miles (18,811 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• In 2007 three young recruits who deserted from the Cuban army tried to hijack a commercial passenger aircraft aiming to defect to the United States.
• The original name of the airport, Rancho Boyeros, meaning the " Drover Ranch", was in reference to the name of the plains/territory where the airport was being built.
• José Martí International Airport (HAV) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of José Martí International Airport's relatively low elevation of 210 feet, planes can take off or land at José Martí 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 José Martí International Airport (HAV) is Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA), which is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) E of HAV.
• In 1988 Terminal 2 was constructed in anticipation of future charter flights to the United States.