Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Kisimayu, Somalia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Kismayo Airport (KMU), Kisimayu, Somalia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,369 miles (or 13,468 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Kismayo 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Kismayo 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in 1992, the wing transferred to Air Combat Command, then came under Air Force Space Command in 1993.
• On 3 September 1974, the SAFSCOM Site Activation Team was relieved by the U.S.
• On 26 May 1972, President Nixon and Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev signed the ABM Treaty, which limited each nation to one site to protect strategic forces and one site to protect the "National Command Authority." With work about 85 percent complete at Grand Forks, the United States chose to finish construction at the North Dakota site.
• The closest airport to Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of RDR.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• During the Cold War, GFAFB was a major installation of the Strategic Air Command, with B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• Due to the continuance of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, GFAFB was originally an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor air base.
• The furthest airport from Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,504 miles (16,904 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about Kismayo Airport (KMU):

• The closest airport to Kismayo Airport (KMU) is Kiwayu Airport (KWY), which is located 135 miles (216 kilometers) SW of KMU.
• Kismayo Airport (KMU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Kismayo Airport (KMU) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,728 miles (18,874 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Kismayo Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Kismayo 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.
• In addition to being known as "Kismayo Airport", other names for KMU include "Goronka Diyarada Ee Kismayo" and "كيسمايو المطار".
• Kismayo Airport handled 58 passengers last year.