Nonstop flight route between Mariquita, Tolima Department, Colombia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mariquita Airport (MQU), Mariquita, Tolima Department, Colombia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,790 miles (or 10,928 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 Mariquita 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 Mariquita 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 Mariquita Airport (MQU):

• In addition to being known as "Mariquita Airport", another name for MQU is "Aeropuerto Mariquita".
• Mariquita Airport (MQU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Mariquita Airport (MQU) is La Nubia Airport (MZL), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) WSW of MQU.
• The furthest airport from Mariquita Airport (MQU) is Radin Inten II Airport (RIA II) (TKG), which is nearly antipodal to Mariquita Airport (meaning Mariquita Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Radin Inten II Airport (RIA II)), and is located 12,432 miles (20,007 kilometers) away in Bandar Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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 limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
• 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.
• 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.
• With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
• On 1 April 1995, Eareckson AS was converted to contractor operations and maintenance, providing all support on the island.