Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Ziguinchor, Senegal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG), Ziguinchor, Senegal would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,885 miles (or 12,690 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 Ziguinchor 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 Ziguinchor 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):

• 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 news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• On 1 April 1995, Eareckson AS was converted to contractor operations and maintenance, providing all support on the island.
• 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 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.

Facts about Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG):

• Because of Ziguinchor Airport's relatively low elevation of 75 feet, planes can take off or land at Ziguinchor 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.
• Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG) is Kirakira Airport (IRA), which is nearly antipodal to Ziguinchor Airport (meaning Ziguinchor Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kirakira Airport), and is located 12,246 miles (19,708 kilometers) away in Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands.
• The closest airport to Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG) is Cap Skirring Airport (CSK), which is located 33 miles (53 kilometers) WSW of ZIG.
• In addition to being known as "Ziguinchor Airport", another name for ZIG is "Aéroport de Ziguinchor".