Nonstop flight route between Utirik Island, Marshall Islands and Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Utirik Airport (UTK), Utirik Island, Marshall Islands and RAF Ascension (ASI), Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena would travel a Great Circle distance of 12,070 miles (or 19,425 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 Utirik Airport and RAF Ascension, 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 Utirik Airport and RAF Ascension. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

The distance between UTK and ASI makes them almost exactly antipodal (the exact opposite side of the world) to each other. Nonstop flights between Utirik Airport and RAF Ascension would be very impractical for the airlines, because only a lightly loaded Boeing 777-200LR would be able to make the trip. Since airlines need to be able to take as many people and cargo as possible in order to make a profit, the odds of ever seeing a nonstop flight between UTK and ASI are slim to none. However, you'll still be able to get from Utirik Island, Marshall Islands and Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena by taking some connecting flights!

Did you know that one full circling of the Earth (measuring from the equator) is about 24,901.5 miles (or 40,075 kilometers), which means if you were 12,450 miles from any given point on the planet, the distance back to your starting point would be about the same -- in any direction! The same can be said for a nonstop flight between UTK and ASI!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Utirik Airport (UTK):

• Utirik Airport (UTK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Utirik Airport", another name for UTK is "03N".
• The closest airport to Utirik Airport (UTK) is Ailuk Airport (AIM), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) S of UTK.
• Because of Utirik Airport's relatively low elevation of 4 feet, planes can take off or land at Utirik 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 Utirik Airport (UTK) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is nearly antipodal to Utirik Airport (meaning Utirik Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from RAF Ascension), and is located 12,070 miles (19,425 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.

Facts about RAF Ascension (ASI):

• The closest airport to RAF Ascension (ASI) is Sasstown Airport (SAZ), which is located 965 miles (1,553 kilometers) NNE of ASI.
• The furthest airport from RAF Ascension (ASI) is Ujae Airport (UJE), which is nearly antipodal to RAF Ascension (meaning RAF Ascension is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ujae Airport), and is located 12,370 miles (19,907 kilometers) away in Ujae Atoll, Marshall Islands.
• The RAF presence on Ascension is backed up by United States Air Force personnel, who contribute a similar number of service personnel to ensure the effective running of the station, under the command of Captain Eduard Rodriguez, who is responsible to the RAF Station Commander.
• Ascension serves as a diversion airport for ETOPS aircraft crossing the Atlantic.
• Wideawake Airfield was a US installation built in 1943 by arrangement with the British government.
• In addition to being known as "RAF Ascension", another name for ASI is "Wideawake Airbase/Field".