Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Birjand, Iran:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Birjand International Airport (XBJ), Birjand, Iran would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,729 miles (or 9,220 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 Birjand 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 Birjand 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• On 16 November 2010, a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor took off for a training mission.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".

Facts about Birjand International Airport (XBJ):

• Birjand Airport is a small airport near Birjand, Iran.
• In February 2012, Birjand International Airport saw the first traffic by a large aircraft, Iran Air's Airbus 300, on a test flight in order to prepare for Hajj traffic.
• The furthest airport from Birjand International Airport (XBJ) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,653 miles (18,754 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• In addition to being known as "Birjand International Airport", another name for XBJ is "فرودگاه بین المللی بیرجند".
• Birjand International Airport (XBJ) has 2 runways.
• Because of Birjand International Airport's high elevation of 4,952 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at XBJ. Combined with a high temperature, this could make XBJ a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Birjand International Airport (XBJ) is Tabas Airport (TCX), which is located 147 miles (237 kilometers) WNW of XBJ.