Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Mashhad International Airport (MHD), Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,500 miles (or 8,852 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 Mashhad 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 Mashhad 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 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.
• 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 uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 adjacent facilities were officially combined by the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

Facts about Mashhad International Airport (MHD):

• Mashhad International Airport handled 7,321,371 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Mashhad International Airport", another name for MHD is "Shahid Hashemi Nejad Airport".
• Mashhad International Airport (MHD) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Mashhad International Airport (MHD) is Ashgabat International Airport (ASB), which is located 140 miles (225 kilometers) NNW of MHD.
• The furthest airport from Mashhad International Airport (MHD) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,540 miles (18,572 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.