Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Columbus, Ohio, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), Columbus, Ohio, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,106 miles (or 4,998 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 Merrill Field and Port Columbus International Airport, 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 Merrill Field and Port Columbus International Airport. 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 Merrill Field (MRI):

• Merrill Field, located on the east end of 5th Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, was the only airport serving Anchorage until 1951 when the introduction of ever larger and faster commercial aircraft required that an airfield with longer and heavier runways be built.
• Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.
• For 12-month period ending August 5, 2004, the airport had 191,550 aircraft operations, an average of 524 per day, 100% of which were general aviation.
• The furthest airport from Merrill Field (MRI) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,545 miles (16,970 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Because of Merrill Field's relatively low elevation of 137 feet, planes can take off or land at Merrill Field 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 closest airport to Merrill Field (MRI) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) NNE of MRI.

Facts about Port Columbus International Airport (CMH):

• The furthest airport from Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,361 miles (18,284 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Port Columbus is known for displaying community artwork, including children's drawings, a photographic timeline, and other donated items.
• The original 1929 layout for the airport covered 524 acres, with two runways 2,500 and 3,500 feet long.
• Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) has 2 runways.
• Between 1998 and 2000, numerous airport expansion and renovation projects were completed, including a $25 million terminal renovation in 1998 that included additional retail shops, new flight information displays, enhanced lighting, upgraded flooring, and a new food court.
• Envoy Air operates a maintenance base at Port Columbus, along with Republic Airways who operate their flagship base at Port Columbus.
• Because of Port Columbus International Airport's relatively low elevation of 815 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Columbus International 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.
• The closest airport to Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) is Ohio State University Airport (OSU), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) WNW of CMH.
• The probable cause was attributed to "A traffic control situation created by the tower local controller which he allowed to continue without taking the necessary corrective action.