Nonstop flight route between Reykjavík, Iceland and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Reykjavík Airport (RKV), Reykjavík, Iceland and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,365 miles (or 5,415 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 Reykjavík Airport and Elmendorf Air Force Base, 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 Reykjavík Airport and Elmendorf Air Force Base. 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 Reykjavík Airport (RKV):

• Reykjavík Airport handled 430,316 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Reykjavík Airport (RKV) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,187 miles (18,003 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
• Because of Reykjavík Airport's relatively low elevation of 45 feet, planes can take off or land at Reykjavík 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.
• Reykjavík Airport (RKV) has 3 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Reykjavík Airport", other names for RKV include "Reykjavík Domestic Airport" and "Reykjavíkurflugvöllur".
• The current airport was built by the British army during World War II on the south coast of Reykjavík peninsula, then a small town.
• Icelandair Group and Icelandair have a head office at the airport.Air Iceland and Isavia also have their head offices on the airport property.
• The closest airport to Reykjavík Airport (RKV) is Keflavík International Airport (KEF), which is located 22 miles (36 kilometers) WSW of RKV.

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• Air defense forces reached their zenith in 1957 with almost 200 fighter aircraft assigned to six fighter interceptor squadrons located at Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB.
• The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• On 28 July 2010, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft practicing for an upcoming airshow crashed into a wooded area within the base, killing all four air crew members.
• The late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• The Elmendorf AFB is a site of one of the now decommissioned FLR-9 Wullenweber-class antennas, a node of the now obsolete High Frequency SIGINT direction finding system.
• The strategic importance of Elmendorf AFB was graphically realized during the spring of 1980 when the 18th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed eight of its F-4Es to Korea to participate in exercise Team Spirit.