Nonstop flight route between Spokane, Washington, United States and Boosaaso, Somalia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States and Bender Qassim International Airport (BSA), Boosaaso, Somalia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,288 miles (or 13,338 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Bender Qassim International 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Bender Qassim International 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 Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA):

• In late 1974, the Air Force announced plans to convert the 141st Fighter Interceptor Group of the Washington Air National Guard, an F-101 Voodoo unit at Geiger Field, to an air refueling mission with KC-135 aircraft.
• The closest airport to Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Spokane International Airport (GEG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) E of SKA.
• Fairchild AFB is named in honor of General Muir S.
• On 24 June 1994 one of the few remaining B-52H aircraft at Fairchild crashed during a practice flight for an upcoming air show, killing all four crew members.
• In addition to being known as "Fairchild Air Force Base", another name for SKA is "Fairchild AFB".
• Since 1942, Fairchild Air Force Base/Station has been a key part of the United States' defense strategy—from World War II repair depot, to Strategic Air Command bomber wing during the Cold War, to Air Mobility Command air refueling wing during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
• The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force.
• The furthest airport from Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,665 miles (17,163 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.

Facts about Bender Qassim International Airport (BSA):

• Construction of the Bender Qassim International Airport started in 2007.
• In 2012, a Product-Sharing Agreement signed between the Puntland government and the Australian oil company Range Resources earmarked $5 million for the construction of an airport runway.
• The closest airport to Bender Qassim International Airport (BSA) is Candala Airport (CXN), which is located 54 miles (86 kilometers) ENE of BSA.
• The furthest airport from Bender Qassim International Airport (BSA) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,873 miles (19,107 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• In 2008, the Puntland government signed a multi-million dollar deal with Dubai's Lootah Group, a regional industrial organization operating in the Middle East and Africa.
• Bender Qassim International Airport (BSA) has 2 runways.
• Because of Bender Qassim International Airport's relatively low elevation of 3 feet, planes can take off or land at Bender Qassim 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.