Nonstop flight route between Er-Rachidia (Errachidia), Morocco and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from ERH to SYA:
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- About this route
- ERH Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about ERH
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to ERH
- List of Nearest Airports to ERH
- Map of Furthest Airports from ERH
- List of Furthest Airports from ERH
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (ERH), Er-Rachidia (Errachidia), Morocco and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,587 miles (or 10,600 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 Moulay Ali Cherif Airport and Eareckson Air Station, 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 Moulay Ali Cherif Airport and Eareckson Air Station. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ERH / GMFK |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Er-Rachidia (Errachidia), Morocco |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°56'51"N by 4°23'53"W |
Operator/Owner: | Royal Moroccan Air Force |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 3428 feet (1,045 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from ERH |
More Information: | ERH Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Facts about Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (ERH):
- In addition to being known as "Moulay Ali Cherif Airport", other names for ERH include "مطار مولاي علي الشريف" and "Moulay Ali Cherif".
- The closest airport to Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (ERH) is Boudghene Ben Ali Lotfi Airport (CBH), which is located 127 miles (205 kilometers) E of ERH.
- The furthest airport from Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (ERH) is Kerikeri Airport (KKE), which is nearly antipodal to Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (meaning Moulay Ali Cherif Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kerikeri Airport), and is located 12,188 miles (19,615 kilometers) away in Kerikeri, New Zealand.
- Moulay Ali Cherif Airport (ERH) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- The closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
- The furthest airport from Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,668 miles (17,168 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Because of Eareckson Air Station's relatively low elevation of 97 feet, planes can take off or land at Eareckson Air Station 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 station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
- The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
- There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
- With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".