Nonstop flight route between Seward, Alaska, United States and Akrotiri, Cyprus:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Seward Airport (SWD), Seward, Alaska, United States and RAF Akrotiri (AKT), Akrotiri, Cyprus would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,891 miles (or 9,481 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 Seward Airport and RAF Akrotiri, 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 Seward Airport and RAF Akrotiri. 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 Seward Airport (SWD):

• Seward Airport covers an area of 302 acres at an elevation of 22 feet above mean sea level.
• Seward Airport (SWD) has 2 runways.
• Because of Seward Airport's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Seward 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 Seward Airport (SWD) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,617 miles (17,086 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Seward Airport (SWD) is Chenega Bay Airport (NCN), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) E of SWD.

Facts about RAF Akrotiri (AKT):

• The U-2s of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing were used in Operation Cedar Sweep to fly surveillance over Lebanon, relaying information about Hezbollah militants to Lebanese authorities, and in Operation Highland Warrior to fly surveillance over Turkey and northern Iraq to relay information to Turkish authorities.
• The furthest airport from RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,556 miles (18,598 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• In addition to being known as "RAF Akrotiri", another name for AKT is ""Aki"".
• In March 2011, the station was used as a staging base for support aircraft involved in Operation Ellamy.
• Akrotiri was first constructed in the mid-1950s to relieve pressure on the main RAF station on the island, RAF Nicosia.
• In September 1976 the US U-2 operations were turned over to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, but the U-2 operation at RAF Akrotiri continued to be called Operating Location OH until September 1980.
• The closest airport to RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Paphos International Airport (PFO), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) WNW of AKT.
• Akrotiri, along with Nicosia, assumed a very important status, as virtually the sole means for projecting British airpower into the eastern Mediterranean, outside of aircraft carriers.