Nonstop flight route between Needles, California, United States and Itami (near Osaka), Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield (EED), Needles, California, United States and Osaka International Airport (ITM), Itami (near Osaka), Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,841 miles (or 9,400 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 Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield and Osaka 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 Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield and Osaka 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 Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield (EED):

• The furthest airport from Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield (EED) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,392 miles (18,334 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Because of Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 983 feet, planes can take off or land at Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield 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.
• Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield (EED) has 2 runways.
• In the year ending February 17, 2006 the airport had 10,500 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 28 per day.
• The closest airport to Needles AirportNeedles Army Airfield (EED) is Lake Havasu City Airport (HII), which is located 20 miles (33 kilometers) SE of EED.
• It opened in May 1941.

Facts about Osaka International Airport (ITM):

• The policy of the Japanese government has been to limit operations at Itami in order to spur development at Kansai and Kobe.
• Because of the political friction surrounding Itami, planners began work in the 1970s to relocate many of its flights to an offshore location.
• In addition to being known as "Osaka International Airport", other names for ITM include "Itami International Airport", "大阪国際空港" and "Ōsaka Kokusai Kūkō".
• Despite its "international" designation, the airport's scheduled passenger air traffic is entirely domestic.
• Because of Osaka International Airport's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Osaka 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.
• Osaka International Airport (ITM) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Osaka International Airport (ITM) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
• The government proposed changing Itami's status from first-class airport to second-class airport, which would saddle local governments with one-third of its operating costs.
• The closest airport to Osaka International Airport (ITM) is Osaka International Airport (OSA), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of ITM.
• Construction began in July 1936 on a 53 ha site.
• Itami Airport has a single terminal building with 21 gates, divided into a "North Terminal" for JAL and Amakusa and "South Terminal" for ANA and IBEX.
• While Japan's economy was growing rapidly, the area around Itami Airport became an increasingly dense residential area for commuters to Osaka.