Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and San Juan, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), San Juan, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,902 miles (or 7,888 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 Luis Muñoz Marín 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 Luis Muñoz Marín 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):

• Air defense forces reached their zenith in 1957 with almost 200 fighter aircraft assigned to six fighter interceptor squadrons located at Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB.
• The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
• 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 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.
• On 28 July 2010, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft practicing for an upcoming airshow crashed into a wooded area within the base, killing all four air crew members.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".

Facts about Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU):

• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport", another name for SJU is "Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín".
• Because of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Luis Muñoz Marín 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 furthest airport from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (meaning Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,246 miles (19,708 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• The airport opened on May 22, 1955.
• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is the Island's main international gateway and its main connection to the United States.
• The closest airport to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) W of SJU.