Nonstop flight route between Kiruna, Sweden and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
(67°49'19"N by 20°20'12"E)
Arrival Airport:
(52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E)
Distance from KRN to SYA:
3,999.60 miles (6,436.71 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- KRN Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about KRN
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to KRN
- List of Nearest Airports to KRN
- Map of Furthest Airports from KRN
- List of Furthest Airports from KRN
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Kiruna Airport (KRN), Kiruna, Sweden and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,000 miles (or 6,437 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 Kiruna 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 Kiruna 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:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | KRN / ESNQ |
| Airport Name: | Kiruna Airport |
| Location: | Kiruna, Sweden |
| GPS Coordinates: | 67°49'19"N by 20°20'12"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Swedavia |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1509 feet (460 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from KRN |
| More Information: | KRN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
| More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Facts about Kiruna Airport (KRN):
- The closest airport to Kiruna Airport (KRN) is Gällivare Airport (GEV), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) SSE of KRN.
- Kiruna Airport (KRN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Kiruna Airport (KRN) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,668 miles (17,169 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
- There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
- The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 49.25 miles (79.26 km) SSE | Gällivare Airport (GEV) | Gällivare, Sweden |     |
| 2 | 86.92 miles (139.88 km) WNW | Narvik Airport, Framnes (NVK) | Narvik, Nordland, Norway | |
| 3 | 88.03 miles (141.67 km) ENE | Enontekiö Airport (ENF) | Enontekiö, Finland | |
| 4 | 96.66 miles (155.56 km) NNW | Bardufoss Airport (BDU) | Bardufoss, Norway | |
| 5 | 104.70 miles (168.50 km) WNW | Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes (EVE) | Evenes, Norway | |
| 6 | 118.26 miles (190.32 km) E | Kittilä Airport (KTT) | Kittilä, Finland | |
| 7 | 133.27 miles (214.48 km) NNW | Tromsø Airport, Langnes (TOS) | Tromsø, Norway | |
| 8 | 136.62 miles (219.86 km) N | Sørkjosen Airport (SOJ) | Sørkjosen, Norway | |
| 9 | 145.93 miles (234.85 km) WNW | Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen (SKN) | Hadsel, Nordland, Norway | |
| 10 | 146.69 miles (236.07 km) NW | Andøya Airport, Andenes (ANX) | Andenes, Norway | |
| 11 | 149.29 miles (240.25 km) WNW | Svolvær Airport, Helle (SVJ) | Svolvær, Norway | |
| 12 | 156.88 miles (252.47 km) S | Arvidsjaur Airport (AJR) | Arvidsjaur, Sweden | |
| 13 | 162.08 miles (260.84 km) W | Bodø Airport (BOO) | Bodø, Norway | |
| 14 | 164.82 miles (265.25 km) SSE | Luleå Airport (LLA) | Luleå, Sweden | |
| 15 | 166.83 miles (268.48 km) NNE | Alta Airport (ALF) | Alta, Norway | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10,668.08 miles (17,168.57 km) SSE | Chatham Islands (CHT) | Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand | |
| 2 | 10,600.29 miles (17,059.47 km) SE | Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS) | Stewart Island, New Zealand | |
| 3 | 10,583.29 miles (17,032.11 km) SE | Dunedin International Airport (DUD) | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | |
| 4 | 10,574.60 miles (17,018.13 km) SE | Invercargill Airport (IVC) | Invercargill, New Zealand | |
| 5 | 10,540.48 miles (16,963.21 km) SE | Oamaru Airport (OAM) | Oamaru, North Otago, New Zealand | |
| 6 | 10,521.63 miles (16,932.88 km) SE | Alexandra Aerodrome (ALR) | Alexandra, New Zealand | |
| 7 | 10,500.93 miles (16,899.56 km) SE | Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) | Timaru, New Zealand | |
| 8 | 10,496.73 miles (16,892.80 km) SE | Queenstown Airport (ZQN) | Queenstown, New Zealand | |
| 9 | 10,488.30 miles (16,879.23 km) SE | Wanaka Airport (WKA) | Wanaka, New Zealand | |
| 10 | 10,486.42 miles (16,876.21 km) SE | Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG) | Ashburton, New Zealand | |
| 11 | 10,473.72 miles (16,855.77 km) SE | Christchurch International Airport (CHC) | Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| 12 | 10,458.10 miles (16,830.64 km) SE | Milford Sound Airport (MFN) | Milford Sound, New Zealand | |
| 13 | 10,454.36 miles (16,824.62 km) SE | Glentanner Aerodrome (GTN) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 14 | 10,445.63 miles (16,810.57 km) SE | Mount Cook Airport (MON) | Mount Cook, New Zealand | |
| 15 | 10,424.53 miles (16,776.62 km) SE | Kaikoura Aerodrome (KBZ) | Kaikoura, New Zealand | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 40.08 miles (64.50 km) WNW | Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) | Attu Island, Alaska, United States | |
| 2 | 394.42 miles (634.75 km) E | Adak Airport (ADK) | Adak Island, Alaska, United States | |
| 3 | 492.29 miles (792.27 km) E | Atka Airport (AKB) | Atka, Alaska, United States | |
| 4 | 651.52 miles (1,048.52 km) W | Yelizovo Airport (PKC) | Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | |
| 5 | 691.63 miles (1,113.07 km) ENE | St. Paul Island Airport (SNP) | St. Paul Island, Alaska, United States | |
| 6 | 699.29 miles (1,125.40 km) ENE | St. George Airport (STG) | St. George, Alaska, United States | |
| 7 | 709.79 miles (1,142.29 km) E | Nikolski Air Station (IKO) | Nikolski, Alaska, United States | |
| 8 | 800.21 miles (1,287.82 km) ENE | Unalaska Airport (DUT) | Unalaska, Alaska, United States | |
| 9 | 830.85 miles (1,337.11 km) ENE | Akutan Seaplane Base (KQA) | Akutan, Alaska, United States | |
| 10 | 836.14 miles (1,345.63 km) N | Markovo Airport (KVM) | Markovo, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia | |
| 11 | 840.49 miles (1,352.63 km) N | Ugolny Airport (DYR) | Anadyr, Russia | |
| 12 | 909.99 miles (1,464.48 km) NE | Mekoryuk Airport (MYU) | Mekoryuk, Alaska, United States | |
| 13 | 916.57 miles (1,475.08 km) NNE | Gambell Airport (GAM) | Gambell, Alaska, United States | |
| 14 | 922.18 miles (1,484.10 km) NNE | Provideniya Bay Airport (PVS) | Provideniya, Chukotka, Russia | |
| 15 | 925.26 miles (1,489.06 km) ENE | False Pass Airport (KFP) | False Pass, Alaska, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10,667.64 miles (17,167.86 km) SW | Cape Town International Airport (CPT) | Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 2 | 10,539.13 miles (16,961.04 km) WSW | George Airport (GRJ) | George, South Africa | |
| 3 | 10,465.34 miles (16,842.30 km) SW | Kleinsee Airport (KLZ) | Kleinzee, South Africa | |
| 4 | 10,423.27 miles (16,774.58 km) SE | Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM) | Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica | |
| 5 | 10,420.29 miles (16,769.79 km) WSW | Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) | Port Elizabeth, South Africa | |
| 6 | 10,414.55 miles (16,760.55 km) SW | Alexander Bay Airport (ALJ) | Alexander Bay, South Africa | |
| 7 | 10,389.25 miles (16,719.84 km) SW | Aggeneys Airport (AGZ) | Aggeneys, South Africa | |
| 8 | 10,389.24 miles (16,719.83 km) SW | Wild Coast Sun Airport (MZF) | Mzamba, South Africa | |
| 9 | 10,350.27 miles (16,657.10 km) WSW | Port Alfred Airport (AFD) | Port Alfred, South Africa | |
| 10 | 10,334.02 miles (16,630.96 km) SW | Lüderitz Airport (LUD) | Luderitz, Namibia | |
| 11 | 10,317.17 miles (16,603.83 km) SW | Karasburg Airport (KAS) | Karasburg, Namibia | |
| 12 | 10,287.63 miles (16,556.29 km) WSW | East London Airport (ELS) | East London, South Africa | |
| 13 | 10,286.30 miles (16,554.16 km) ESE | Port Stanley Airport (PSY) | Stanley, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom | |
| 14 | 10,263.57 miles (16,517.57 km) ESE | RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) | Falkland Islands | |
| 15 | 10,260.22 miles (16,512.19 km) SW | Upington Airport (UTN) | Upington, South Africa | |