Nonstop flight route between Sélibaby, Mauritania and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sélibaby Airport (SEY), Sélibaby, Mauritania and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,731 miles (or 12,441 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 Sélibaby 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 Sélibaby 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 Sélibaby Airport (SEY):

• The closest airport to Sélibaby Airport (SEY) is Bakel Airport (BXE), which is located 29 miles (46 kilometers) SW of SEY.
• The furthest airport from Sélibaby Airport (SEY) is Longana Airport (LOD), which is nearly antipodal to Sélibaby Airport (meaning Sélibaby Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Longana Airport), and is located 12,422 miles (19,992 kilometers) away in Longana, Ambae Island, Pénama Province, Vanuatu.
• Because of Sélibaby Airport's relatively low elevation of 262 feet, planes can take off or land at Sélibaby 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.
• Sélibaby Airport (SEY) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• 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 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.