Nonstop flight route between Sisimiut, Greenland and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sisimiut Airport (JHS), Sisimiut, Greenland and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,633 miles (or 4,238 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 Sisimiut 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 Sisimiut 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 Sisimiut Airport (JHS):

• With 5,460 inhabitants as of 2010, Sisimiut is the second-largest town in Greenland, one of the few towns in the country exhibiting growth patterns, with corresponding increasing passenger traffic at Sisimiut Airport.
• Sisimiut Airport handled 22,955 passengers last year.
• Because of Sisimiut Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Sisimiut 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.
• Sisimiut Airport (JHS) currently has only 1 runway.
• There is no deicing equipment at the airport, which is costly and problematic in Greenlandic winter.
• For scheduled flights, the airport is served exclusively by Air Greenland, serving as a fly-through destination with no aircraft stationed onsite.
• The furthest airport from Sisimiut Airport (JHS) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 10,591 miles (17,044 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
• The closest airport to Sisimiut Airport (JHS) is Attu Heliport (QGQ), which is located 68 miles (110 kilometers) N of JHS.
• In addition to being known as "Sisimiut Airport", other names for JHS include "Mittarfik Sisimiut" and "Sisimiut Lufthavn".

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of 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.
• The uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
• 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.
• That importance was further recognized when the F-15E Strike Eagle equipped 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron was reassigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base from Clark Air Base in the Philippines in May 1991.
• The strategic importance of Elmendorf AFB was graphically realized during the spring of 1980 when the 18th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed eight of its F-4Es to Korea to participate in exercise Team Spirit.
• On 12 November 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort 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.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".