Nonstop flight route between Galena, Alaska, United States and Irkutsk, Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL), Galena, Alaska, United States and International Airport Irkutsk (IKT), Irkutsk, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,281 miles (or 5,280 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 International Airport Irkutsk, 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 International Airport Irkutsk. 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):

• The closest airport to Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is Koyukuk Airport (KYU), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) WNW of GAL.
• Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) has 2 runways.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 7,784 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 7,447 enplanements in 2009, and 12,421 in 2010.
• In addition to being known as "Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport", another name for GAL is "(former Galena Air Force Base)".

Facts about International Airport Irkutsk (IKT):

• International Airport Irkutsk (IKT) currently has only 1 runway.
• Apart from foggy weather, the airport is notorious for its sloping runway and having many hills in its vicinity.
• In addition to being known as "International Airport Irkutsk", another name for IKT is "Международный Аэропорт Иркутск".
• Airport publishes its own regional newspaper industry "Irkutsk sky", dedicated to civil aviation in Irkutsk region.
• The class of the artificial landing strip - B Corresponding to the first category of ICAO-International Civil Aviation Organization
• The closest airport to International Airport Irkutsk (IKT) is Baikal International Airport (UUD), which is located 133 miles (215 kilometers) ESE of IKT.
• The furthest airport from International Airport Irkutsk (IKT) is Teniente Julio Gallardo Airfield (PNT), which is nearly antipodal to International Airport Irkutsk (meaning International Airport Irkutsk is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Teniente Julio Gallardo Airfield), and is located 12,299 miles (19,794 kilometers) away in Puerto Natales, Chile.
• The airport is actually located within the city.