Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Latacunga, Ecuador:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), Latacunga, Ecuador would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,658 miles (or 9,105 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 Cotopaxi 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 Cotopaxi 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):

• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• On 12 November 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort Richardson.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 strategic importance of Elmendorf AFB was graphically realized during the spring of 1980 when the 18th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed eight of its F-4Es to Korea to participate in exercise Team Spirit.
• 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.
• 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 Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX):

• The closest airport to Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) is Chachoan Airport (ATF), which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) S of LTX.
• In addition to being known as "Cotopaxi International Airport", other names for LTX include "Aeropuerto Internacional Cotopaxi" and "SELT".
• Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) is Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU), which is nearly antipodal to Cotopaxi International Airport (meaning Cotopaxi International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport), and is located 12,406 miles (19,965 kilometers) away in Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia.
• Because of Cotopaxi International Airport's high elevation of 9,205 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LTX. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LTX a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.