Nonstop flight route between Katima Mulilo, Namibia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from MPA to SYA:
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- About this route
- MPA Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about MPA
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to MPA
- List of Nearest Airports to MPA
- Map of Furthest Airports from MPA
- List of Furthest Airports from MPA
- 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 Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA), Katima Mulilo, Namibia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,520 miles (or 15,322 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 Katima Mulilo 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 Katima Mulilo 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: | MPA / FYKM |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Katima Mulilo, Namibia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 17°38'3"S by 24°10'35"E |
| Area Served: | Katima Mulilo, Namibia |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 3144 feet (958 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MPA |
| More Information: | MPA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
| Airport Names: |
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| 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 Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA):
- The furthest airport from Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) is Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA), which is nearly antipodal to Katima Mulilo Airport (meaning Katima Mulilo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kona International Airport at Keāhole), and is located 12,291 miles (19,780 kilometers) away in Kailua / Kona, Hawaii, United States.
- Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Katima Mulilo Airport", another name for MPA is "Mpacha Airport".
- The closest airport to Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) is Kasane Airport (BBK), which is located 66 miles (107 kilometers) ESE of MPA.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
- 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.
