Nonstop flight route between Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RGA to SYA:
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- About this route
- RGA Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about RGA
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RGA
- List of Nearest Airports to RGA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RGA
- List of Furthest Airports from RGA
- 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 Hermes Quijada International Airport (RGA), Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,960 miles (or 16,030 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 Hermes Quijada 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 Hermes Quijada 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: | RGA / SAWE |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina |
GPS Coordinates: | 53°46'51"S by 67°45'14"W |
Area Served: | Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego |
Operator/Owner: | Government and Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 66 feet (20 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from RGA |
More Information: | RGA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
|
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 Hermes Quijada International Airport (RGA):
- The closest airport to Hermes Quijada International Airport (RGA) is Ushuaia International Airport (USH), which is located 77 miles (123 kilometers) SSW of RGA.
- Hermes Quijada International Airport (RGA) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Hermes Quijada International Airport (RGA) is Chita Kadala (HTA), which is nearly antipodal to Hermes Quijada International Airport (meaning Hermes Quijada International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chita Kadala), and is located 12,308 miles (19,807 kilometers) away in Chita, Russia.
- In addition to being known as "Hermes Quijada International Airport", another name for RGA is "Aeropuerto Internacional de Río Grande - Hermes Quijada".
- Because of Hermes Quijada International Airport's relatively low elevation of 66 feet, planes can take off or land at Hermes Quijada 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.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage.
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- 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.
- On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
- 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 " ".
- 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.