Nonstop flight route between Mersa Matruh, Egypt and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mersa Matruh Airport (MUH), Mersa Matruh, Egypt and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,297 miles (or 10,134 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 Mersa Matruh 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 Mersa Matruh 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 Mersa Matruh Airport (MUH):

• In addition to being known as "Mersa Matruh Airport", another name for MUH is "مطار مرسى مطروح".
• The closest airport to Mersa Matruh Airport (MUH) is Borg El Arab International Airport (HBE), which is located 149 miles (240 kilometers) E of MUH.
• Mersa Matruh Airport (MUH) has 2 runways.
• Because of Mersa Matruh Airport's relatively low elevation of 94 feet, planes can take off or land at Mersa Matruh 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 Mersa Matruh Airport (MUH) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,816 miles (19,016 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• 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 spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• The station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.