Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Jos, Nigeria:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS), Jos, Nigeria would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,403 miles (or 11,915 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 Yakubu Gowon 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 Yakubu Gowon 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):

• 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.
• It is the home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Command, Alaskan NORAD Region, Joint Task Force-Alaska, Eleventh Air Force, the 673d Air Base Wing, the 3rd Wing, the 176th Wing and other Tenant Units.
• The 1980s witnessed a period of growth and modernization of Elmendorf AFB.
• The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• 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.
• Following World War II, Elmendorf assumed an increasing role in the defense of North America as the uncertain wartime relations between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated into the Cold War.

Facts about Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS):

• The furthest airport from Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS) is Asau Airport (AAU), which is nearly antipodal to Yakubu Gowon Airport (meaning Yakubu Gowon Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Asau Airport), and is located 12,151 miles (19,555 kilometers) away in Asau, Samoa.
• The closest airport to Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS) is Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV), which is located 118 miles (190 kilometers) WSW of JOS.
• Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Yakubu Gowon Airport's high elevation of 4,232 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at JOS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make JOS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.