Nonstop flight route between Bissau, Guinea-Bissau and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from OXB to SYA:
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- About this route
- OXB Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about OXB
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to OXB
- List of Nearest Airports to OXB
- Map of Furthest Airports from OXB
- List of Furthest Airports from OXB
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB), Bissau, Guinea-Bissau and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,935 miles (or 12,771 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 Osvaldo Vieira International 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 Osvaldo Vieira International 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:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | OXB / GGOV |
| Airport Name: | Osvaldo Vieira International Airport |
| Location: | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau |
| GPS Coordinates: | 11°53'41"N by 15°39'12"W |
| Area Served: | Bissau |
| Operator/Owner: | N/A |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 129 feet (39 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from OXB |
| More Information: | OXB Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
| More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Facts about Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB):
- On December 10, 2013, TAP Portugal suspended operations to Osvaldo Vieira International Airport after the local police forces under threatened the crew of Flight TP202 destined for Lisbon and forced the crew to board 74 Syrian refugees, who have arrived in Bissau via Morocco and Turkey and who were holding falsified Turkish passports.
- The airport had to be closed on June 7, 1998 due to intense fighting in and around Bissau.
- The closest airport to Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB) is Bubaque Airport (BQE), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) SSW of OXB.
- Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB) currently has only 1 runway.
- Previously known as Bissalanca, during the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence it was used as a base by the Portuguese Air Force.
- Because of Osvaldo Vieira International Airport's relatively low elevation of 129 feet, planes can take off or land at Osvaldo Vieira 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 furthest airport from Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (OXB) is Kirakira Airport (IRA), which is nearly antipodal to Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (meaning Osvaldo Vieira International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kirakira Airport), and is located 12,243 miles (19,703 kilometers) away in Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
- After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese.
- 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.
- Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
- The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
- 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.
- On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
