Nonstop flight route between Reus (near Tarragona), Spain and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Reus Airport (REU), Reus (near Tarragona), Spain and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,938 miles (or 9,556 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 Reus 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 Reus 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 Reus Airport (REU):

• The airport was founded in 1935 as a venture by the Auroclub de Reus.
• The nearest railway station is Reus, served by local and express trains to Barcelona, Lleida and many other destinations in Spain.
• The furthest airport from Reus Airport (REU) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Reus Airport (meaning Reus Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,217 miles (19,661 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Reus Airport's relatively low elevation of 233 feet, planes can take off or land at Reus 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.
• Reus Airport handled 971,166 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Reus Airport", another name for REU is "Aeroport de Reus".
• In order to adapt Reus Airport to future air traffic demand, Aena Aeropuertos has carried out a series of improvements and extended its facilities.
• The closest airport to Reus Airport (REU) is Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN), which is located 48 miles (78 kilometers) ENE of REU.
• Reus Airport (REU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport receives a large amount of tourist traffic from passengers destined for the beach resorts of Salou and Cambrils as well as for Barcelona, which is approximately 100 km to the northeast.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over 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.
• 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 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.