Nonstop flight route between Perpignan, France and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (PGF), Perpignan, France and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,821 miles (or 9,368 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 Perpignan – Rivesaltes 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 Perpignan – Rivesaltes 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 Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (PGF):

• In addition to being known as "Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport", another name for PGF is "Aéroport de Perpignan – Rivesaltes".
• The furthest airport from Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (PGF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (meaning Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,356 miles (19,884 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (PGF) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport (PGF) is Carcassonne Airport (CCF), which is located 43 miles (70 kilometers) NW of PGF.
• Because of Perpignan – Rivesaltes Airport's relatively low elevation of 144 feet, planes can take off or land at Perpignan – Rivesaltes 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.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
• 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.
• By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".