Nonstop flight route between Kinmen, Taiwan and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) (KNH), Kinmen, Taiwan and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,472 miles (or 5,588 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 Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi 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 Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi 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 Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) (KNH):

• The furthest airport from Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) (KNH) is Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport (ESG), which is nearly antipodal to Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) (meaning Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport), and is located 12,260 miles (19,730 kilometers) away in Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay.
• Because of Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport)'s relatively low elevation of 93 feet, planes can take off or land at Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi 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 airport resides at an elevation of 93 feet above mean sea level.
• The closest airport to Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) (KNH) is Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) WNW of KNH.
• In addition to being known as "Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport)", other names for KNH include "金門航空站金門尚義機場" and "Jīnmén HángkōngzhànJīnmén Shàngyì Jīchǎng".
• It serves an average of 1.2 million passenger every year.
• Kinmen Airport (Kinmen Shang Yi Airport) (KNH) currently has only 1 runway.
• A 2,580-metre connecting road links to a highway leading to two townships.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• 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.
• In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• On 27 January 1992 the 5073rd Air Base Group located at Shemya AFB was re-designated as the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force 673d Air Base Group.
• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• 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.