Nonstop flight route between Emerald, Queensland, Australia and Akrotiri, Cyprus:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Emerald Airport (EMD), Emerald, Queensland, Australia and RAF Akrotiri (AKT), Akrotiri, Cyprus would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,515 miles (or 13,704 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 Emerald Airport and RAF Akrotiri, 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 Emerald Airport and RAF Akrotiri. 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 Emerald Airport (EMD):

• The furthest airport from Emerald Airport (EMD) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,818 miles (19,019 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.
• Emerald Airport was one of more than 21 regional Australian airports assessed by Virgin Australia for its viability.
• Emerald Airport is currently serviced by QantasLink Dash 8 Q400's flying an average of five flights per day on weekdays, and three flights per day on weekends.
• The closest airport to Emerald Airport (EMD) is Blackwater Airport (BLT), which is located 40 miles (64 kilometers) E of EMD.
• Because of Emerald Airport's relatively low elevation of 624 feet, planes can take off or land at Emerald 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.
• Emerald Airport (EMD) has 2 runways.

Facts about RAF Akrotiri (AKT):

• The station commander is double-hatted and is also the officer commanding the Akrotiri or Western Sovereign Base Area, reporting to the commander of British Forces Cyprus who is also the Administrator.
• Akrotiri is also the winter training grounds of the RAF display team, the Red Arrows.
• The U-2s of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing were used in Operation Cedar Sweep to fly surveillance over Lebanon, relaying information about Hezbollah militants to Lebanese authorities, and in Operation Highland Warrior to fly surveillance over Turkey and northern Iraq to relay information to Turkish authorities.
• Due to the station's relative proximity to the Middle East, it is often used by British allies when needed, such as for casualty reception for Americans after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and as a staging post before heading into theatres of combat in the Middle East/Persian Gulf theaters.
• Akrotiri, along with Nicosia, assumed a very important status, as virtually the sole means for projecting British airpower into the eastern Mediterranean, outside of aircraft carriers.
• In August 1970 a detachment of "G" of the Central Intelligence Agency arrived at the airfield with U-2 aircraft to monitor the Egypt/Israel Suez Canal fighting and cease fire.
• The furthest airport from RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,556 miles (18,598 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• The closest airport to RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Paphos International Airport (PFO), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) WNW of AKT.
• In addition to being known as "RAF Akrotiri", another name for AKT is ""Aki"".
• In July 2006 RAF Akrotiri played a major role as a transit point for personnel evacuations out of Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.