Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MRI to CMI:
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- About this route
- MRI Airport Information
- CMI Airport Information
- Facts about MRI
- Facts about CMI
- Map of Nearest Airports to MRI
- List of Nearest Airports to MRI
- Map of Furthest Airports from MRI
- List of Furthest Airports from MRI
- Map of Nearest Airports to CMI
- List of Nearest Airports to CMI
- Map of Furthest Airports from CMI
- List of Furthest Airports from CMI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI), Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,924 miles (or 4,706 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 University of Illinois Willard 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 University of Illinois Willard Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MRI / PAMR |
Airport Name: | Merrill Field |
Location: | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 61°12'48"N by 149°50'39"W |
Operator/Owner: | Municipality of Anchorage |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 137 feet (42 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from MRI |
More Information: | MRI Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CMI / KCMI |
Airport Name: | University of Illinois Willard Airport |
Location: | Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 40°2'21"N by 88°16'41"W |
Area Served: | Champaign-Urbana, Illinois |
Operator/Owner: | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 754 feet (230 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from CMI |
More Information: | CMI Maps & Info |
Facts about Merrill Field (MRI):
- 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.
- The airstrip is still in use today as the primary field for private wheel equipped aircraft in the warmer months and for ski equipped in the winter.
- The offices of the Alaska Dispatch, parent company of the Anchorage Daily News, are located on Merrill Field.
- This was the first official airport in Anchorage when it opened in 1930.
- 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.
- Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.
- 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 University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI):
- The closest airport to University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI) is Decatur Airport (DEC), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) WSW of CMI.
- American Eagle has one daily flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on 50-seat ERJs, and six daily ERJ flights to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
- University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI) has 4 runways.
- The furthest airport from University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,084 miles (17,838 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of University of Illinois Willard Airport's relatively low elevation of 754 feet, planes can take off or land at University of Illinois Willard 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 airport was dedicated on 26 October 1945.