Nonstop flight route between Galena, Alaska, United States and Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL), Galena, Alaska, United States and Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ), Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,917 miles (or 11,131 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport and Alejandro Velasco Astete International 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport and Alejandro Velasco Astete International 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL):

• Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) has 2 runways.
• Because of Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport's relatively low elevation of 153 feet, planes can take off or land at Edward G. Pitka Sr. 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.
• In addition to being known as "Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport", another name for GAL is "(former Galena Air Force Base)".
• As Galena Air Force Base, it was used by the USAF during the Cold War as an interceptor base for aircraft patrolling the western areas of Alaska.
• The closest airport to Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is Koyukuk Airport (KYU), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) WNW of GAL.
• The furthest airport from Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,313 miles (16,598 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
• The airport also sports a ski-jump takeoff ramp at one end and provisions for arresting gear at the other, a leftover from the Cold War years as Galena Air Force Base, as tactical aircraft required more landing and takeoff space than was available on the runway.

Facts about Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ):

• The closest airport to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) is Andahuaylas Airport (ANS), which is located 95 miles (154 kilometers) W of CUZ.
• In addition to being known as "Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport", another name for CUZ is "Aeropuerto Internacional Alejandro Velasco Astete".
• It was named in honor of the Peruvian pilot Alejandro Velasco Astete who was the first pilot to cross the Andes in 1925.
• On August 9, 1970, LANSA Flight 502, a four-engine engine Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Cusco airport, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, plus two people on the ground, in the deadliest accident in Peru's aviation history to that date.
• Because of Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport's high elevation of 10,860 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at CUZ. Combined with a high temperature, this could make CUZ a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The airport has a number of commodities which attend to the multitude of tourists which visit the city of Cusco.
• A new airport in the suburb of Chinchero has been announced but this has created controversy as this area is home to the Pampas of Chinchero, an ecological monument.
• The furthest airport from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) is Buon Ma Thuot Airport (BMV), which is nearly antipodal to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (meaning Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Buon Ma Thuot Airport), and is located 12,377 miles (19,918 kilometers) away in Buon Me Thuot, Vietnam.
• Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) currently has only 1 runway.