Nonstop flight route between Kuqa, Xinjiang, China and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA), Kuqa, Xinjiang, China and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,051 miles (or 6,519 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 Kuqa Qiuci 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 Kuqa Qiuci 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 Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA):

• In addition to being known as "Kuqa Qiuci Airport", other names for KCA include "库车龟兹机场" and "Kùchē Qiūcí Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA) is Gamboa Airport (WCA), which is located 11,248 miles (18,102 kilometers) away in Castro, Chile.
• The closest airport to Kuqa Qiuci Airport (KCA) is Nalati Airport (NLT), which is located 120 miles (193 kilometers) N of KCA.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu.
• 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 Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• 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.
• 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.
• On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
• The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
• 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.