Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Bardufoss, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Bardufoss Airport (BDU), Bardufoss, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,933 miles (or 6,329 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 Bardufoss 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 Bardufoss 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):

• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• 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.
• 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 news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 27 January 1992 the 5073rd Air Base Group located at Shemya AFB was re-designated as the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force 673d Air Base Group.
• 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.

Facts about Bardufoss Airport (BDU):

• The furthest airport from Bardufoss Airport (BDU) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,613 miles (17,079 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347, SAS-operated McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route to Bodø Airport and Oslo Airport, Fornebu, was hijacking by Haris Keč on 3 November 1994.
• A government commission published a report in 1947 which recommended a national plan for civil aviation.
• Because of Bardufoss Airport's relatively low elevation of 252 feet, planes can take off or land at Bardufoss 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 closest airport to Bardufoss Airport (BDU) is Tromsø Airport, Langnes (TOS), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NNE of BDU.
• In addition to being known as "Bardufoss Airport", another name for BDU is "Bardufoss lufthavn".
• Bardufoss Airport handled 207,650 passengers last year.
• The Norwegian Aviation College college was established at Bardufoss Airport in 1992 as the world's northern-most flight school.