Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Greymouth, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Greymouth Airport (GMN), Greymouth, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,738 miles (or 12,453 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 Greymouth 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 Greymouth 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):

• The 6th SW flew RC–135 strategic reconnaissance missions with an assigned squadron, and, with KC–135s deployed to Eielson from SAC, AFRES, and the ANG, conducted Alaska Tanker Task Force missions to support reconnaissance and numerous exercises for the Air Force and Navy.
• On 7 June 1943, the Western Defense Command ordered construction of a new airfield near present-day Fort Wainwright, then an Army airfield named after Major Arthur Ladd.
• The 375th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, from the 308th Bombardment Group at Tinker AFB Oklahoma, arrived at Eielson on 5 March 1949.
• The Cold War seen the use of Eielson's expansive reservation as a maneuver area for the U.S.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• Eielson AFB was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field.

Facts about Greymouth Airport (GMN):

• Because of Greymouth Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Greymouth 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.
• Greymouth Airport (GMN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Greymouth Airport (GMN) is Vigo Airport (VGO), which is nearly antipodal to Greymouth Airport (meaning Greymouth Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Vigo Airport), and is located 12,418 miles (19,985 kilometers) away in Vigo, Galicia, Spain.
• The closest airport to Greymouth Airport (GMN) is Hokitika Airport (HKK), which is located 20 miles (33 kilometers) SSW of GMN.