Nonstop flight route between Minot, North Dakota, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Minot International Airport (MOT), Minot, North Dakota, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,512 miles (or 5,653 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 Minot International 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 Minot International 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 Minot International Airport (MOT):

• Growing passenger numbers, parking issues, and the possibilities of new airlines and destinations make a new terminal at Minot International Airport a top priority.
• Delta Air Lines has five daily flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
• Minot International Airport covers 1,430 acres at an elevation of 1,716 feet.
• The closest airport to Minot International Airport (MOT) is Minot Air Force Base (MIB), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNW of MOT.
• Minot International Airport (MOT) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Minot International Airport (MOT) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,326 miles (16,619 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Pietsch Aviation and Bessette Aviation are based at the airport, both offer flight training and general aircraft services.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (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 "  ".
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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 mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
• 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 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 spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.