Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Béziers, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (BZR), Béziers, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,779 miles (or 9,300 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 Béziers Cap d'Agde 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 Béziers Cap d'Agde 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):

• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• 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.
• Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point, Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status.
• 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.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
• 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.
• On 1 April 1995, Eareckson AS was converted to contractor operations and maintenance, providing all support on the island.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.

Facts about Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (BZR):

• The airport resides at an elevation of 56 feet above mean sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport", another name for BZR is "Aéroport Béziers Cap d'Agde".
• The closest airport to Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (BZR) is Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport (MPL), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) ENE of BZR.
• Because of Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport's relatively low elevation of 56 feet, planes can take off or land at Béziers Cap d'Agde 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 Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (BZR) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (meaning Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,402 miles (19,959 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (BZR) currently has only 1 runway.