Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Svolvær, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Svolvær Airport, Helle (SVJ), Svolvær, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,456 miles (or 5,562 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 Svolvær Airport, Helle, 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 Svolvær Airport, Helle. 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 12 November 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort Richardson.
• The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
• 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 closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Svolvær Airport, Helle (SVJ):

• Svolvær Airport, Helle (SVJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• There is no bus service to the airport, but taxis are available.
• The furthest airport from Svolvær Airport, Helle (SVJ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,701 miles (17,222 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Svolvær Airport, Helle", another name for SVJ is "Svolvær lufthavn, Helle".
• Because of Svolvær Airport, Helle's relatively low elevation of 29 feet, planes can take off or land at Svolvær Airport, Helle 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 Svolvær Airport, Helle (SVJ) is Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen (SKN), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NNE of SVJ.
• Avinor is planning building a new primary airport to serve Lofoten and possibly also Vesterålen.
• Svolvær Airport, Helle handled 77,310 passengers last year.