Nonstop flight route between Girona, Spain and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO), Girona, Spain and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,879 miles (or 9,462 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 Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava 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 Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava and Eareckson Air Station. 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 Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO):

• On the ground floor there are 33 check-in desks, with 11 boarding gates on the first floor for both domestic and international flights.
• Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava handled 2,736,867 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava (meaning Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,299 miles (19,793 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO) is Sabadell Airport (QSA), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) SW of GRO.
• The closest main line railway station to the airport is in Girona.
• Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport was built in 1965, but passenger traffic was modest.
• Because of Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava's relatively low elevation of 469 feet, planes can take off or land at Girona–Costa Brava Airport Aeroport de Girona-Costa Brava 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 Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• On 27 January 1992 the 5073rd Air Base Group located at Shemya AFB was re-designated as the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force 673d Air Base Group.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.