Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and San Juan, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), San Juan, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,356 miles (or 10,229 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 Luis Muñoz Marín 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 Luis Muñoz Marín International 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):

• The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
• On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu.
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.
• 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.
• The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.

Facts about Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU):

• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) has 2 runways.
• Over $400 million was used to expand the airport facilities through 2011.
• The closest airport to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) W of SJU.
• Because of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Luis Muñoz Marín International 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 furthest airport from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (meaning Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,246 miles (19,708 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport", another name for SJU is "Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín".
• The airport opened on May 22, 1955.
• Until 1955, the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport was the main international airport of Puerto Rico.