Nonstop flight route between Wevelgem, Belgium and Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK), Wevelgem, Belgium and Wake Island Airfield (AWK), Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,490 miles (or 12,053 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 Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport and Wake Island Airfield, 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 Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport and Wake Island Airfield. 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 Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK):

• Because of Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport's relatively low elevation of 64 feet, planes can take off or land at Kortrijk-Wevelgem International 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.
• In addition to being known as "Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport", another name for KJK is "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-55".
• The closest airport to Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK) is Lille Airport (LIL), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) SSW of KJK.
• The furthest airport from Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,952 miles (19,235 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Wake Island Airfield (AWK):

• On 31 August 2006, the super typhoon Ioke struck Wake Island.
• Another airline that operated into Wake Island was Philippine Airlines with Douglas DC-8 jetliners on a daily westbound service from San Francisco and Honolulu to Manila during the early 1970s.
• Wake Island Airfield (AWK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is Quoin Hill Airfield (UIQ), which is located 169 miles (272 kilometers) SE of AWK.
• British Overseas Airways Corporation also used Wake Island as a refueling stop.
• The furthest airport from Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is located 11,652 miles (18,752 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
• Because of Wake Island Airfield's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Wake Island Airfield 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.
• Japan Airlines used both Wake Island and Honolulu as stops on its initial Tokyo-San Francisco service using Douglas DC-6s in the mid-1950s.
• The first intention to build an air base surfaced in 1935, when Pan American World Airways selected Wake Island as an intermediate support base for their routes to the Far East, especially the Philippines.