Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Baku, Azerbaijan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), Baku, Azerbaijan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,185 miles (or 8,344 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 Heydar Aliyev International 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 Heydar Aliyev International 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 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.
• The station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".

Facts about Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD):

• Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) is Lankaran International Airport (LLK), which is located 135 miles (218 kilometers) SSW of GYD.
• The project to renovate the airport started at the beginning of 1998 and was completed in June 1999.
• Because of Heydar Aliyev International Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Heydar Aliyev International 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.
• In addition to being known as "Heydar Aliyev International Airport", another name for GYD is "Heydər Əliyev adına beynəlxalq hava limanı".
• A new terminal in the Baku International Airport is under construction and will be commissioned in 2013.
• The furthest airport from Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,202 miles (18,028 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.