Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Rourkela, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States and Rourkela Airport (RRK), Rourkela, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,830 miles (or 9,382 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 Rourkela 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 Rourkela 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 addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• A month later, contractors and civilian crews from Ladd Field started laying out the new airfield.
• The 6th SW remained at Eielson AFB until 1992.
• The Cold War seen the use of Eielson's expansive reservation as a maneuver area for the U.S.
• The base reopened in September 1946, once again as a satellite of Ladd Field.
• 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.
• 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 closest airport to Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NW of EIL.
• Eielson AFB was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field.

Facts about Rourkela Airport (RRK):

• Rourkela Airport (RRK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Rourkela Airport", other names for RRK include "राउरकेला हवाई अड्डे" and "Rā'urakēlā havā'ī aḍḍē".
• Because of Rourkela Airport's relatively low elevation of 656 feet, planes can take off or land at Rourkela 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 closest airport to Rourkela Airport (RRK) is Birsa Munda Airport (IXR), which is located 80 miles (129 kilometers) NNE of RRK.
• In 1961, this airport was taken by the Airports Authority of India.
• The furthest airport from Rourkela Airport (RRK) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,482 miles (18,478 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The airstrip was constructed by the Tata Iron and Steel Company in 1950s for the purpose of carrying officials of the company, who regularly visited the area to survey and supervise the transportation of dolomite and other minerals from the district of Sundargarh for their industry.