Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Makurdi Airport (MDI), Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,282 miles (or 11,719 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 Makurdi 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 Makurdi 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 58th Weather Squadron remained at Eielson until 8 August 1958.
• The 375th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, from the 308th Bombardment Group at Tinker AFB Oklahoma, arrived at Eielson on 5 March 1949.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• In July 1960, the Strategic Air Command stationed the 4157th Combat Support Group at Eielson.
• Headquarters USAF General Order 2, dated 13 January 1948, redesignated Mile 26 as Eielson AFB.
• 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.
• 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.
• Until 2007, Eielson was a front line base, deploying fighter and bomber units around the world as well as providing for the defense of Alaska.

Facts about Makurdi Airport (MDI):

• The closest airport to Makurdi Airport (MDI) is Akanu Ibiam International Airport ( AIIA ) (ENU), which is located 111 miles (179 kilometers) SW of MDI.
• Because of Makurdi Airport's relatively low elevation of 371 feet, planes can take off or land at Makurdi 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.
• The furthest airport from Makurdi Airport (MDI) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to Makurdi Airport (meaning Makurdi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,095 miles (19,465 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• Makurdi Airport (MDI) currently has only 1 runway.