Nonstop flight route between Ironwood, Michigan, United States and Catania, Italy:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD), Ironwood, Michigan, United States and Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY), Catania, Italy would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,017 miles (or 8,074 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 Gogebic-Iron County Airport and Naval Air Station Sigonella, 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 Gogebic-Iron County Airport and Naval Air Station Sigonella. 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 Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD):

• The airport has not had scheduled commercial airline service since January 31, 2014, when Great Lakes Airlines discontinued its service to Minneapolis/St.
• The furthest airport from Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,857 miles (17,473 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Gogebic-Iron County Airport covers an area of 1,180 acres at an elevation of 1,230 feet above mean sea level.
• Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD) is John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport (ASX), which is located 37 miles (60 kilometers) W of IWD.

Facts about Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY):

• Ground was broken in September, and construction on the administrative area at NAF I was started in 1958.
• NAS Sigonella is the Navy's second largest security command, second only to that located at Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
• Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,695 miles (18,821 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Naval Air Station Sigonella (NSY) is Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) ENE of NSY.
• On the night of 10 October 1985, there were tense hours on NAS II when the Italian Carabinieri, Italian Air Force, and the US Army's Delta Force came close to firing upon one another following the interception by Navy F-14 Tomcat fighters of an Egyptian Boeing 737 airliner carrying the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, which had been commandeered by members of the PLO on 7 October.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Sigonella", other names for NSY include "Base aerea di Sigonella" and "NAS Sigonella".
• Because of Naval Air Station Sigonella's relatively low elevation of 79 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Air Station Sigonella 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.
• Sigonella suffered its second major flood mid December 2005.