Nonstop flight route between Hughes, Alaska, United States and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hughes Airport (HUS), Hughes, Alaska, United States and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,672 miles (or 7,519 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 Hughes Airport and Lajes Air 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 Hughes Airport and Lajes Air 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 Hughes Airport (HUS):

• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 1,148 passenger boardings in calendar year 2007, an increase of 1% from the 1,137 enplanements in 2006.
• Because of Hughes Airport's relatively low elevation of 299 feet, planes can take off or land at Hughes 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.
• Hughes Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile southwest of the central business district of Hughes, a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S.
• The furthest airport from Hughes Airport (HUS) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,222 miles (16,451 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Hughes Airport (HUS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Hughes Airport (HUS) is Indian Mountain LRRS Airport (UTO), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) E of HUS.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military alliance was established.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• During the Portuguese Colonial War, from 1961 to 1975, the Air Force Hospital at Lajes operated as the main centre for treatment and rehabilitation of mutilated and heavy burned soldiers of the three services of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
• The United States and the United Kingdom transferred control of Lajes to Portugal in 1946.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• The civilian terminal also plays an important role in support of passenger and cargo airliners, executive, corporate and private jets flying to the island or beyond as the central location in the Azores group of islands makes it an ideal spot for refuelling or stopover.
• Portugal has explored contingencies in the event the United States military eventually abandons Lajes, including the possibility of entering an agreement with the People's Republic of China.
• In the summer of 1984, Lajes undertook a new mission known as "SILK PURSE." Boeing EC-135s began operating out of Lajes Field as an airborne command post for the U.S.