Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to JNB:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- JNB Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about JNB
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to JNB
- List of Nearest Airports to JNB
- Map of Furthest Airports from JNB
- List of Furthest Airports from JNB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,894 miles (or 15,923 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 O. R. Tambo 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 O. R. Tambo International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | JNB / FAOR |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 26°8'21"S by 28°14'45"E |
Area Served: | Johannesburg, South Africa Pretoria, South Africa |
Operator/Owner: | Airports Company South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5558 feet (1,694 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from JNB |
More Information: | JNB Maps & Info |
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage.
- 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.
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
Facts about O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB):
- O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) has 2 runways.
- Because of O. R. Tambo International Airport's high elevation of 5,558 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at JNB. Combined with a high temperature, this could make JNB a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- In addition to being known as "O. R. Tambo International Airport", another name for JNB is "Johannesburg International Airport".
- Critics noted the considerable expense involved in renaming the airport, and the decision to use a politician as the name would be obscure, confusing and in some instances, offensive.
- The closest airport to O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) is Rand Airport (QRA), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) SW of JNB.
- The furthest airport from O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,979 miles (19,279 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
- O. R. Tambo International Airport handled 18,794,897 passengers last year.