Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Kulusuk, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Kulusuk Airport (KUS), Kulusuk, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,099 miles (or 6,596 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 Kulusuk 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 Kulusuk 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):

• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• The base host squadron was re-designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962, and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported.
• 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 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.

Facts about Kulusuk Airport (KUS):

• The closest airport to Kulusuk Airport (KUS) is Tasiilaq Heliport (AGM), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) W of KUS.
• The furthest airport from Kulusuk Airport (KUS) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 10,856 miles (17,471 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
• Before Air Greenland took over Air Alpha, flights had been operated on-demand by two helicopters.
• In addition to being known as "Kulusuk Airport", another name for KUS is "Mittarfik Kulusuk".
• Because of Kulusuk Airport's relatively low elevation of 117 feet, planes can take off or land at Kulusuk 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 are political discussions on building a new airport at Tasiilaq, the major settlement in the region, and to close the Kulusuk Airport.
• Kulusuk Airport handled 14,738 passengers last year.
• Kulusuk Airport (KUS) currently has only 1 runway.
• de Havilland Canada Dash-8 106 of Air Iceland
• Given the increasing number of passengers travelling through the airport due to connections provided by Air Iceland, both domestic to Nerlerit Inaat Airport and international to Iceland, the number of fixed-schedule helicopter flights to Tasiilaq is not sufficient to cover demand, due to a single Bell 212 helicopter of Air Greenland stationed at the airport.