Nonstop flight route between Kenai, Alaska, United States and Misawa, Aomori, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA), Kenai, Alaska, United States and Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ), Misawa, Aomori, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,086 miles (or 4,966 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 Kenai Municipal Airport and Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō, 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 Kenai Municipal Airport and Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō. 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 Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA):

• Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA) has 3 runways.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 96,565 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 82,277 enplanements in 2009, and 86,857 in 2010.
• Because of Kenai Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 99 feet, planes can take off or land at Kenai Municipal 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 Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,594 miles (17,050 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA) is Soldotna Airport (SXQ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) SE of ENA.

Facts about Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ):

• With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the 49th Fighter-Bomber Group was split off from the wing and was one of the first USAF units dispatched to Korea from Japan, its tactical squadrons began operations with F-51D Mustangs as the F-51D performed the ground support role better than the Shooting Stars.
• The furthest airport from Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,479 miles (18,473 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
• The Imperial Army transformed Misawa into an air base in 1938 when it was used as a base for long-range bombers.
• The United States Air Force's 35th Fighter Wing is the host unit at Misawa Air Base.
• On March 1, 1952, the 39th Air Division was established at Misawa, and through January 15, 1968, the Air Division controlled all of the units responsible for the air defense of north Japan, which included northern Honshū and Hokkaidō islands and the contiguous territorial waters.
• What is now called Misawa Air Base has been used by the military since the Meiji period, when it was used as a cavalry training center for the Imperial Army.
• The closest airport to Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ) is JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base (HHE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) SSE of MSJ.
• In addition to being known as "Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō", another name for MSJ is "Misawa AB".
• After the immediate postwar reconstruction of facilities, the first permanent USAAF tenant was the 613th Air Control and Warning Squadron, taking up residence on July 15, 1946 and providing air traffic control in the Misawa area for the next decade.