Nonstop flight route between Kericho, Kenya and Fairbanks, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kericho Airport (KEY), Kericho, Kenya and Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,994 miles (or 12,865 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 Kericho Airport and Eielson 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 Kericho Airport and Eielson 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 Kericho Airport (KEY):

• Kericho Airport is a small civilian airport, serving the border town of Kericho and surrounding communities.
• The furthest airport from Kericho Airport (KEY) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,632 miles (18,719 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Kericho Airport's high elevation of 7,165 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at KEY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make KEY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Kericho Airport (KEY) is Kisumu International Airport (KIS), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) WNW of KEY.
• Its location is approximately 206 kilometres, by air, northwest of Nairobi International Airport, the country’s largest civilian airport.

Facts about Eielson Air Force Base (EIL):

• The Cold War seen the use of Eielson's expansive reservation as a maneuver area for the U.S.
• Taken off deployment status in 2007 as a result of BRAC 2005, today the primary mission of the base is to support Red Flag-Alaska, a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S.
• The closest airport to Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NW of EIL.
• Eielson AFB was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field.
• Eielson is home to the 354th Fighter Wing which is part of the Eleventh Air Force of Pacific Air Forces.
• The 58th Weather Squadron remained at Eielson until 8 August 1958.
• On 1 December 1947 Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress bombers arrived at 26-Mile Airfield with the deployment of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, from Smoky Hill AFB, Kansas.
• The furthest airport from Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,295 miles (16,568 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• On 7 June 1943, the Western Defense Command ordered construction of a new airfield near present-day Fort Wainwright, then an Army airfield named after Major Arthur Ladd.
• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• A new chapter for the base began 1 October 1981 when the 343d Composite Wing replaced the 5010th as Eielson's host unit.