Nonstop flight route between Nangan, Matsu Islands, Taiwan and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Nangan Airport (LZN), Nangan, Matsu Islands, Taiwan and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,316 miles (or 5,337 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 Nangan 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 Nangan 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 Nangan Airport (LZN):

• In addition to being known as "Nangan Airport", other names for LZN include "南竿航空站馬祖南竿機場" and "Nángān HángkōngzhànMǎzǔ Nángān Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Nangan Airport (LZN) is Resistencia International Airport (RES), which is nearly antipodal to Nangan Airport (meaning Nangan Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Resistencia International Airport), and is located 12,329 miles (19,841 kilometers) away in Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina.
• Nangan Airport (LZN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Nangan Airport (LZN) is Fuzhou Changle International Airport (FOC), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) SW of LZN.
• Because of Nangan Airport's relatively low elevation of 232 feet, planes can take off or land at Nangan 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):

• In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage.
• 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.
• 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 station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.