Nonstop flight route between Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,887 miles (or 7,865 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 Lal Bahadur Shastri 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 Lal Bahadur Shastri 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS):

• Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) is Allahabad Airport (IXD), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) W of VNS.
• Parking bay at the airport
• Varanasi departure terminal
• The furthest airport from Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,667 miles (18,777 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• Because of Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport's relatively low elevation of 266 feet, planes can take off or land at Lal Bahadur Shastri 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 Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
• 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.
• 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 addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 1 April 1995, Eareckson AS was converted to contractor operations and maintenance, providing all support on the island.
• After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese.