Nonstop flight route between Samos Island, Greece and Chicago, Illinois, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI), Samos Island, Greece and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,578 miles (or 8,976 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" and Chicago Midway 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" and Chicago Midway 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI):

• On 3 August 1989, Olympic Aviation Flight 545 crashed into Mount Kerkis while on approach to Samos Airport.
• Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"", another name for SMI is "Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σάμου "Αρίσταρχος ο Σάμιος»".
• Because of Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"'s relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,378 miles (18,310 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• The closest airport to Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) is Ikaria Island National Airport (JIK), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) W of SMI.

Facts about Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW):

• Today, Southwest Airlines is the largest airline serving Midway with 253 daily flights.
• For over 16 years, Midway had been the main hub for Indianapolis-based ATA, but the airline shut down on June 7, 2008.
• Because of Chicago Midway International Airport's relatively low elevation of 620 feet, planes can take off or land at Chicago Midway 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.
• The furthest airport from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,083 miles (17,836 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), which is located only 15 miles (25 kilometers) NNW of MDW.
• Originally named Chicago Air Park, Midway Airport was built on a 320-acre plot in 1923 with one cinder runway mainly for airmail flights.
• In September 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel terminated negotiations to privatize the airport, noting that the process was no longer competitive after one of the two finalists had backed out.
• In June 2004, Mayor Daley and airline officials celebrated the completion of the Terminal Development Program.
• Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) has 5 runways.
• More construction was funded in part by $1 million from the Works Progress Administration.