Nonstop flight route between Agana, Guam and Ketchikan, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Andersen Air Force Base (UAM), Agana, Guam and Ketchikan International Airport (KTN), Ketchikan, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,189 miles (or 8,351 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 Andersen Air Force Base and Ketchikan 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 Andersen Air Force Base and Ketchikan 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 Andersen Air Force Base (UAM):

• In 1951, the Strategic Air Command chose several overseas bases to support rotational unit deployments of its bombers from stateside bases, starting with B-29 Superfortress units and later including Convair B-36, B-47 Stratojet, B-50 Superfortress bombers, and KB-29 refueling tankers.
• Andersen is one of four bomber forward operating locations in the US Air Force.
• The furthest airport from Andersen Air Force Base (UAM) is Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho) (SSA), which is nearly antipodal to Andersen Air Force Base (meaning Andersen Air Force Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho)), and is located 12,214 miles (19,656 kilometers) away in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
• B-29 Superfortress missions from North Field were attacks against strategic targets in Japan, initially operating in daylight and at high altitude to bomb factories, refineries, and other objectives.
• Andersen saw an end to its role in rotational duties when the B-47 was phased out and replaced by the B-52 Stratofortress.
• The closest airport to Andersen Air Force Base (UAM) is Guam International Airport (GUM), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) SW of UAM.
• Guam was considered as being ideal to establish air bases to launch B-29 Superfortress operations against the Japanese Home Islands.
• The base returned to routine operations by the late 1970s, but continued to serve as one of SAC's strategic locations.
• Andersen Air Force Base's origins begin on 7 December 1941 when Guam was attacked by the armed forces of Imperial Japan in the Battle of Guam three hours after the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
• The Japanese managed to contain the marines on two beachheads, but their counter-attack failed.

Facts about Ketchikan International Airport (KTN):

• Around the World War II era, air service to Ketchikan was possible using an old military airfield on Annette Island.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 108,837 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 96,996 enplanements in 2009, and 100,138 in 2010.
• The furthest airport from Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 10,613 miles (17,081 kilometers) away in Port Alfred, South Africa.
• Because of Ketchikan International Airport's relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Ketchikan 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.
• Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) is Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base (WFB), which is located only 2 miles (3 kilometers) ESE of KTN.
• There is no road access between Ketchikan and the airport.