Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,074 miles (or 14,603 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 Aracaju–Santa Maria 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 Aracaju–Santa Maria 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 closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
• In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• On 1 July 1994, the 11th Air Control Wing was inactivated and the 673d ABG was reassigned to Eleventh Air Force.
• 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.

Facts about Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU):

• Although it had been in operation since the beginning of the 1950s, the official inauguration of the airport took place on 19 January 1958.
• In 2012 the airport has already started the last extension through the construction of a completely new passenger terminal which will double its capacity.
• Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport handled 1,343,899 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport", another name for AJU is "Aeroporto Aracaju–Santa Maria".
• The closest airport to Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) is Maceió/Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport (MCZ), which is located 134 miles (216 kilometers) NE of AJU.
• Because of Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Aracaju–Santa Maria 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 Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) is Guam International Airport (GUM), which is nearly antipodal to Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (meaning Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Guam International Airport), and is located 12,223 miles (19,671 kilometers) away in Hagåtña, Guam.
• In 1961 began the first renovation of the airport complex, with an extension of the runway and enlargement of the passenger terminal.
• Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) currently has only 1 runway.