Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Kiffa, Mauritania:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to KFA:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- KFA Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about KFA
- 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 KFA
- List of Nearest Airports to KFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from KFA
- List of Furthest Airports from KFA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Kiffa Airport (KFA), Kiffa, Mauritania would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,637 miles (or 12,291 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 Kiffa 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 Kiffa 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: |
|
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: | KFA / GQNF |
Airport Name: | Kiffa Airport |
Location: | Kiffa, Mauritania |
GPS Coordinates: | 16°35'22"N by 11°24'21"W |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 423 feet (129 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KFA |
More Information: | KFA Maps & Info |
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 " ".
- It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
- 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.
Facts about Kiffa Airport (KFA):
- Kiffa Airport (KFA) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Kiffa Airport (KFA) is Tongoa Airport (TGH), which is nearly antipodal to Kiffa Airport (meaning Kiffa Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tongoa Airport), and is located 12,416 miles (19,981 kilometers) away in Tongoa, Shefa Province, Vanuatu.
- The closest airport to Kiffa Airport (KFA) is Tamchakett Airport (THT), which is located 59 miles (95 kilometers) NE of KFA.
- Because of Kiffa Airport's relatively low elevation of 423 feet, planes can take off or land at Kiffa 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.