Nonstop flight route between Ghanzi, Botswana and Fairbanks, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ghanzi Airport (GNZ), Ghanzi, Botswana and Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,424 miles (or 15,166 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 Ghanzi Airport and Eielson Air Force Base, 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 Ghanzi Airport and Eielson Air Force Base. 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 Ghanzi Airport (GNZ):

• Because of Ghanzi Airport's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Ghanzi 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 terms of passenger and aircraft movements, the current Ghanzi Airport can be classified as a marginal airport.
• The furthest airport from Ghanzi Airport (GNZ) is Dillingham Airfield (HDH), which is nearly antipodal to Ghanzi Airport (meaning Ghanzi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dillingham Airfield), and is located 12,425 miles (19,995 kilometers) away in Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to Ghanzi Airport (GNZ) is Hukuntsi Airport (HUK), which is located 159 miles (256 kilometers) S of GNZ.

Facts about Eielson Air Force Base (EIL):

• Taken off deployment status in 2007 as a result of BRAC 2005, today the primary mission of the base is to support Red Flag-Alaska, a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S.
• The Air Defense Command deployed interceptors to Eielson during the 1960s.
• The closest airport to Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NW of EIL.
• The furthest airport from Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,295 miles (16,568 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The 375th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, from the 308th Bombardment Group at Tinker AFB Oklahoma, arrived at Eielson on 5 March 1949.
• On 7 June 1943, the Western Defense Command ordered construction of a new airfield near present-day Fort Wainwright, then an Army airfield named after Major Arthur Ladd.
• A month later, contractors and civilian crews from Ladd Field started laying out the new airfield.
• A new chapter for the base began 1 October 1981 when the 343d Composite Wing replaced the 5010th as Eielson's host unit.
• Operational uses of Mile 26 were few.
• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".