Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Gomel, Belarus:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Gomel Airport (GME), Gomel, Belarus would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,339 miles (or 6,983 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 Eielson Air Force Base and Gomel 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 Eielson Air Force Base and Gomel 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 Eielson Air Force Base (EIL):

• In July 1960, the Strategic Air Command stationed the 4157th Combat Support Group at Eielson.
• The furthest airport from Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,295 miles (16,568 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NW of EIL.
• A month later, contractors and civilian crews from Ladd Field started laying out the new airfield.
• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• The host unit at Eielson is the 354th Fighter Wing assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force.
• Headquarters USAF General Order 2, dated 13 January 1948, redesignated Mile 26 as Eielson AFB.
• On 1 December 1947 Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress bombers arrived at 26-Mile Airfield with the deployment of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, from Smoky Hill AFB, Kansas.
• Today the 1st Brigade 25th Infantry Division and the 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Division can be found training there.

Facts about Gomel Airport (GME):

• Gomel Airport is an airport located 3 km north-east from Gomel, the second-largest city in Belarus.
• In addition to being known as "Gomel Airport", other names for GME include "Аэрапорт Гомель" and "Аэропорт Гомель".
• Gomel airport is now mainly used for charter flights to Italy, Belgium, Spain and some other Western European countries, those flights are organised by Western European organisations that take children from Gomel and its region to the West Europe with an eye to tourism.
• The closest airport to Gomel Airport (GME) is Chernihiv Airport (CEJ), which is located 78 miles (125 kilometers) S of GME.
• The furthest airport from Gomel Airport (GME) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,046 miles (17,777 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Gomel Airport (GME) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Gomel Airport's relatively low elevation of 472 feet, planes can take off or land at Gomel 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.
• Gomel airport was a hub of a regional air company "Gomelavia", which ceased operations on 22 February 2011 due to bankruptcy.