Nonstop flight route between Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from VEY to SYA:
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- About this route
- VEY Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about VEY
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to VEY
- List of Nearest Airports to VEY
- Map of Furthest Airports from VEY
- List of Furthest Airports from VEY
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Vestmannaeyjar Airport (VEY), Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,375 miles (or 7,041 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 Vestmannaeyjar Airport and Eareckson Air Station, 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 Vestmannaeyjar Airport and Eareckson Air Station. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | VEY / BIVM |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland |
| GPS Coordinates: | 63°25'29"N by 20°16'45"W |
| Area Served: | Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland |
| Operator/Owner: | ISAVIA |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 326 feet (99 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from VEY |
| More Information: | VEY Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
| More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Facts about Vestmannaeyjar Airport (VEY):
- The furthest airport from Vestmannaeyjar Airport (VEY) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,250 miles (18,106 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- Vestmannaeyjar Airport (VEY) has 2 runways.
- Because of Vestmannaeyjar Airport's relatively low elevation of 326 feet, planes can take off or land at Vestmannaeyjar 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 closest airport to Vestmannaeyjar Airport (VEY) is Reykjavík Airport (RKV), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) NW of VEY.
- In addition to being known as "Vestmannaeyjar Airport", another name for VEY is "Vestmannaeyjaflugvöllur".
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu.
- 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.
- 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.
- The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
- The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
- 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.
- In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In August 1988, at least one Aries rocket was launched, relating to the Queen Match program, for anti-ballistic missile testing.
