Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and British Columbia, Canada:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MRI to YAL:
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- About this route
- MRI Airport Information
- YAL Airport Information
- Facts about MRI
- Facts about YAL
- 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 YAL
- List of Nearest Airports to YAL
- Map of Furthest Airports from YAL
- List of Furthest Airports from YAL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Alert Bay Airport (YAL), British Columbia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,142 miles (or 1,838 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 relatively short distance between Merrill Field and Alert Bay Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
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: | YAL / CYAL |
Airport Name: | Alert Bay Airport |
Location: | British Columbia, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°34'55"N by 126°54'56"W |
Operator/Owner: | Corporation of Village of Alert Bay |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 240 feet (73 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from YAL |
More Information: | YAL Maps & Info |
Facts about Merrill Field (MRI):
- The offices of the Alaska Dispatch, parent company of the Anchorage Daily News, are located on Merrill Field.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Merrill Field (MRI) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) NNE of MRI.
- 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.
- This was the first official airport in Anchorage when it opened in 1930.
- 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.
- Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.
Facts about Alert Bay Airport (YAL):
- Alert Bay Airport (YAL) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Alert Bay Airport's relatively low elevation of 240 feet, planes can take off or land at Alert Bay 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 furthest airport from Alert Bay Airport (YAL) is East London Airport (ELS), which is located 10,675 miles (17,179 kilometers) away in East London, South Africa.
- The closest airport to Alert Bay Airport (YAL) is Port McNeill Airport (YMP), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) W of YAL.