Nonstop flight route between Hassi Messaoud, Algeria and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport (HME), Hassi Messaoud, Algeria and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,875 miles (or 9,455 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 Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport and Elmendorf 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 Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport and Elmendorf 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 Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport (HME):

• In addition to being known as "Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport", other names for HME include "Base d'Hassi Messaoud (Hassi Messaoud)" and "Aéroport de Hassi Messaoud / Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem".
• Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport (HME) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport (HME) is Guemar Airport (ELU), which is located 133 miles (213 kilometers) NNE of HME.
• The furthest airport from Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport (HME) is Gisborne Airport (GIS), which is located 11,770 miles (18,941 kilometers) away in Gisborne, New Zealand.
• Because of Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport's relatively low elevation of 459 feet, planes can take off or land at Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem 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.

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• The Elmendorf AFB is a site of one of the now decommissioned FLR-9 Wullenweber-class antennas, a node of the now obsolete High Frequency SIGINT direction finding system.
• Construction on Elmendorf Field began on 8 June 1940, as a major and permanent military airfield near Anchorage.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Air defense forces reached their zenith in 1957 with almost 200 fighter aircraft assigned to six fighter interceptor squadrons located at Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB.
• On 22 September 1995, a Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne early warning and control aircraft with 22 USAF personnel and two Canadian air crew members crashed after ingesting a flock of Canada Geese, killing all on board.
• The Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program announced on 13 May 2005.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• Despite a diminished number of personnel and aircraft, a turning point in Elmendorf's history occurred in 1970 with the arrival of the 43d Tactical Fighter Squadron in June 1970 from MacDill AFB, Florida.
• It is the home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Command, Alaskan NORAD Region, Joint Task Force-Alaska, Eleventh Air Force, the 673d Air Base Wing, the 3rd Wing, the 176th Wing and other Tenant Units.