Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Acandí, Colombia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Alcides Fernández Airport (ACD), Acandí, Colombia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,508 miles (or 10,474 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 Eareckson Air Station and Alcides Fernández 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 Eareckson Air Station and Alcides Fernández 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 Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• Shemya has been the scene of two major earthquakes.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• 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.
• The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.

Facts about Alcides Fernández Airport (ACD):

• The furthest airport from Alcides Fernández Airport (ACD) is Christmas Island Airport (XCH), which is nearly antipodal to Alcides Fernández Airport (meaning Alcides Fernández Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Christmas Island Airport), and is located 12,193 miles (19,623 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Australia.
• The closest airport to Alcides Fernández Airport (ACD) is Mulatupo Airport (MPP), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) NW of ACD.
• In addition to being known as "Alcides Fernández Airport", other names for ACD include "Aeropuerto Alcides Fernández", "Acandí Airport" and "Aeropuerto de Acandí".
• Because of Alcides Fernández Airport's relatively low elevation of 50 feet, planes can take off or land at Alcides Fernández 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.