Nonstop flight route between Chignik, Alaska, United States. and Canton Island, Kiribati:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chignik Bay Seaplane Base (KBW), Chignik, Alaska, United States. and Canton Island Airport (CIS), Canton Island, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,149 miles (or 6,678 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 Chignik Bay Seaplane Base and Canton Island Airport, 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 Chignik Bay Seaplane Base and Canton Island Airport. 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 Chignik Bay Seaplane Base (KBW):

• In addition to being known as "Chignik Bay Seaplane Base", another name for KBW is "Z78".
• The closest airport to Chignik Bay Seaplane Base (KBW) is Chignik Lagoon Airport (KCL), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) WNW of KBW.
• The furthest airport from Chignik Bay Seaplane Base (KBW) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,896 miles (17,536 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
• Chignik Bay Seaplane Base (KBW) has 2 runways.
• Because of Chignik Bay Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Chignik Bay Seaplane 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.

Facts about Canton Island Airport (CIS):

• Though Kanton Island was never physically invaded by Japanese forces, the airfield was bombarded on 1 November 1943 by the Japanese submarine I-36.
• The political status of the island was uncertain at first, with American and British settlers occupying two separate camps on the island.
• The furthest airport from Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Malabo International Airport (SSG), which is nearly antipodal to Canton Island Airport (meaning Canton Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Malabo International Airport), and is located 12,363 miles (19,896 kilometers) away in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
• Canton Island Airport (CIS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The Pan American pioneered central air route, Hawaii to the Philippines and Asia by way of stations at Midway, Wake and Guam passed through the Japanese controlled islands with serious concerns about its safety growing in 1941 even as the Army had reinforced the Philippines with a flight of B-17 bombers by way of Midway, Wake and Port Moresby in September.
• Kanton Island airport continued to see use during the 1950s as a trans-Pacific stopover for DC-4, DC-6B and DC-7C aircraft for Pan American, British Commonwealth Pacific, Qantas and Canadian Pacific Airlines, but with the advent of long-range jet aircraft during the 1960s, their need for the island faded, and the airfield and its associated facilities were ultimately abandoned in 1965.
• Because of Canton Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Canton Island 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.
• The closest airport to Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Funafuti International Airport (FUN), which is located 741 miles (1,193 kilometers) WSW of CIS.