Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MRI to YFS:
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- About this route
- MRI Airport Information
- YFS Airport Information
- Facts about MRI
- Facts about YFS
- 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 YFS
- List of Nearest Airports to YFS
- Map of Furthest Airports from YFS
- List of Furthest Airports from YFS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Fort Simpson Airport (YFS), Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 937 miles (or 1,507 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 Fort Simpson 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: | YFS / CYFS |
Airport Name: | Fort Simpson Airport |
Location: | Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 61°45'37"N by 121°14'12"W |
Operator/Owner: | Government of the Northwest Territories |
Elevation: | 556 feet (169 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from YFS |
More Information: | YFS Maps & Info |
Facts about Merrill Field (MRI):
- Merrill Field is a public-use general aviation airport located one mile east of downtown Anchorage in the U.S.
- 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, 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 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.
- Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.
- 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 closest airport to Merrill Field (MRI) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) NNE of MRI.
- This was the first official airport in Anchorage when it opened in 1930.
- A section of the airport is built over the closed Merrill Field Land Fill.
Facts about Fort Simpson Airport (YFS):
- Fort Simpson Airport (YFS) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Fort Simpson Airport's relatively low elevation of 556 feet, planes can take off or land at Fort Simpson 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 Fort Simpson Airport (YFS) is Wrigley Airport (YWY), which is located 122 miles (197 kilometers) NW of YFS.
- The furthest airport from Fort Simpson Airport (YFS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 10,037 miles (16,152 kilometers) away in Port Alfred, South Africa.