Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Kano, Nigeria:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN), Kano, Nigeria would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,667 miles (or 10,729 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• The base experienced one of its worst peacetime tragedies in March 1953 when an RB-36 and its entire crew of 23 crashed in Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe.
• The furthest airport from Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,579 miles (17,026 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• The closest airport to Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) S of RCA.

Facts about Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN):

• The bulk of international flights cater for the large Lebanese community in Kano and Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca.
• Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) is Fagali'i Airport (FGI), which is nearly antipodal to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (meaning Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fagali'i Airport), and is located 12,311 miles (19,813 kilometers) away in Apia, Samoa.
• The closest airport to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) is Zaria Airport (ZAR), which is located 85 miles (137 kilometers) SW of KAN.
• On the south side of the airport, along runway 06/24, is the domestic terminal currently serving operations of IRS Airlines.
• Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport handled 341,367 passengers last year.
• Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is the oldest in Nigeria, with operations starting in 1936.