Nonstop flight route between Lampedusa, Italy and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lampedusa Airport (LMP), Lampedusa, Italy and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,241 miles (or 10,044 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 Lampedusa 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 Lampedusa 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 Lampedusa Airport (LMP):

• In addition to being known as "Lampedusa Airport", another name for LMP is "Aeroporto di Lampedusa".
• The closest airport to Lampedusa Airport (LMP) is Xewkija / Gozo Heliport (GZM), which is located 100 miles (160 kilometers) ENE of LMP.
• The furthest airport from Lampedusa Airport (LMP) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,687 miles (18,809 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Lampedusa Airport (LMP) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Lampedusa Airport's relatively low elevation of 69 feet, planes can take off or land at Lampedusa 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.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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 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 closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
• Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point, Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese.
• 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 "  ".
• 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.
• 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 base host squadron was re-designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962, and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported.
• The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".