Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Basrah, Iraq:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Basrah International AirportBasrah Airport (BSR), Basrah, Iraq would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,843 miles (or 11,012 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 Shaw Air Force Base and Basrah International AirportBasrah 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 Shaw Air Force Base and Basrah International AirportBasrah 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 Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• The furthest airport from Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,545 miles (18,580 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Flying activities at the field began on 22 October 1941 using Vultee BT-13 Valiants.
• After the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch in September 1947, Shaw Army Airfield was renamed Shaw Air Force Base, on 13 January 1948 and the 20th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated on 15 August 1947 with the implementation of the Hobson Plan.
• Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
• In October 1942, the flight training was changed to Advanced flying training and AT-6 Texan single-engine and Beech AT-10 twin-engine trainers were used.
• On March 23, 1953, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated at Shaw.
• As a result of the August 1992 destruction of Homestead AFB Florida by Hurricane Andrew in September 1992, the 31st Fighter Wing's 309th Fighter Squadron was initially evacuated to Shaw AFB prior to the hurricane making landfall.

Facts about Basrah International AirportBasrah Airport (BSR):

• The airport was eventually reopened in June 2004.
• Basrah International AirportBasrah Airport (BSR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Renovation of the airport was supposed to proceed with the construction of a new terminal under German contract but the project prematurely ceased with the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War.
• The closest airport to Basrah International AirportBasrah Airport (BSR) is Abadan International Airport (ABD), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) ESE of BSR.
• The furthest airport from Basrah International AirportBasrah Airport (BSR) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,898 miles (19,147 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• Reconstruction of the airport is still under way to improve the facilities.
• Following the American control and since 2002, SkyLink Arabia has been providing ground operations and fuel supply at the airport.
• Because of Basrah International AirportBasrah Airport's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Basrah International AirportBasrah 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.