Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Obihiro, Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Tokachi-Obihiro Airport (OBO), Obihiro, Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,577 miles (or 2,537 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 relatively short distance between Eareckson Air Station and Tokachi-Obihiro Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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 closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
• 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 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.
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• On 1 April 1995, Eareckson AS was converted to contractor operations and maintenance, providing all support on the island.

Facts about Tokachi-Obihiro Airport (OBO):

• In addition to being known as "Tokachi-Obihiro Airport", another name for OBO is "とかち帯広空港".
• Tokachi-Obihiro Airport (OBO) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Tokachi-Obihiro Airport (OBO) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,320 miles (18,218 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
• Because of Tokachi-Obihiro Airport's relatively low elevation of 490 feet, planes can take off or land at Tokachi-Obihiro 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 closest airport to Tokachi-Obihiro Airport (OBO) is Kushiro Airport (KUH), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) ENE of OBO.