Nonstop flight route between La Rioja, Argentina and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ), La Rioja, Argentina and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,004 miles (or 14,490 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 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport 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 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport 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 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ):

• Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ) is Coronel Felipe Varela International Airport (CTC), which is located 83 miles (134 kilometers) NE of IRJ.
• The airport was named after the Argentine aviation pioneer Vicente Almandos Almonacid.
• In 1969, a new runway was paved.
• The furthest airport from Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ) is Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX), which is nearly antipodal to Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (meaning Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Changsha Huanghua International Airport), and is located 12,355 miles (19,883 kilometers) away in Changsha, Hunan, China.
• In addition to being known as "Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport", another name for IRJ is "Aeropuerto de La Rioja - Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• In August 1988, at least one Aries rocket was launched, relating to the Queen Match program, for anti-ballistic missile testing.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• 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.