Nonstop flight route between Aitape, Papua New Guinea and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Tadji Airport (TAJ), Aitape, Papua New Guinea and Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,689 miles (or 9,156 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 Tadji Airport and Merrill Field, 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 Tadji Airport and Merrill Field. 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 Tadji Airport (TAJ):

• The closest airport to Tadji Airport (TAJ) is Frieda River Airport (FAQ), which is located 103 miles (165 kilometers) SSW of TAJ.
• Tadji Airport (TAJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Tadji Airport (TAJ) is Pinto Martins – Fortaleza International Airport (FOR), which is located 11,950 miles (19,232 kilometers) away in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
• Because of Tadji Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Tadji 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.

Facts about Merrill Field (MRI):

• Because of Merrill Field's relatively low elevation of 137 feet, planes can take off or land at Merrill Field 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 Merrill Field (MRI) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) NNE of MRI.
• Merrill Field, located on the east end of 5th Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, was the only airport serving Anchorage until 1951 when the introduction of ever larger and faster commercial aircraft required that an airfield with longer and heavier runways be built.
• The airstrip is still in use today as the primary field for private wheel equipped aircraft in the warmer months and for ski equipped in the winter.
• The furthest airport from Merrill Field (MRI) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,545 miles (16,970 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.