Nonstop flight route between Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bryant Army Airfield (FRN), Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Svalbard Airport, Longyear (LYR), Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,778 miles (or 4,470 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 Bryant Army Airfield and Svalbard Airport, Longyear, 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 Bryant Army Airfield and Svalbard Airport, Longyear. 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 Bryant Army Airfield (FRN):

• The furthest airport from Bryant Army Airfield (FRN) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,540 miles (16,963 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Bryant Army Airfield (FRN) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) W of FRN.
• Bryant Army Airfield (FRN) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Bryant Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 378 feet, planes can take off or land at Bryant Army Airfield 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.

Facts about Svalbard Airport, Longyear (LYR):

• While the Catalina was suitable for postal flights, it was not suitable for a permanent solution for transporting passengers and freight, mainly due to its small size.
• Both Braathens SAFE and SAS applied for the concession to fly from the mainland to Norway.
• Svalbard Airport, Longyear handled 126,350 passengers last year.
• Svalbard Airport, Longyear (LYR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Svalbard Airport, Longyear (LYR) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,170 miles (16,367 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• In addition to being known as "Svalbard Airport, Longyear", another name for LYR is "Svalbard lufthavn, Longyear".
• Because of Svalbard Airport, Longyear's relatively low elevation of 94 feet, planes can take off or land at Svalbard Airport, Longyear 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.
• On 14 August 1987, Braathens SAFE re-entered the market, flying in parallel with SAS to Tromsø and Oslo.
• The airport is located 1.6 nautical miles northwest of Longyearbyen, the largest settlement on Svalbard.
• The closest airport to Svalbard Airport, Longyear (LYR) is Honningsvåg Airport, Valan (HVG), which is located 534 miles (859 kilometers) SSE of LYR.
• The first air strip on Svalbard was constructed in Adventdalen, near Longyearbyen, by the Luftwaffe during World War II.