Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Leh, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport (IXL), Leh, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,636 miles (or 7,461 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 Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe 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 Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe 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):

• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
• 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 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport (IXL):

• Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport (IXL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport (IXL) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,802 miles (18,993 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• In addition to being known as "Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport", another name for IXL is "कुशोक बकुला रिम्पोचे हवाई अड्डा".
• The closest airport to Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport (IXL) is Skardu Airport (KDU), which is located 141 miles (227 kilometers) NW of IXL.
• Because of Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport's high elevation of 10,682 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at IXL. Combined with a high temperature, this could make IXL a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.