Nonstop flight route between Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan and Pierre, South Dakota, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from WKJ to PIR:
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- About this route
- WKJ Airport Information
- PIR Airport Information
- Facts about WKJ
- Facts about PIR
- Map of Nearest Airports to WKJ
- List of Nearest Airports to WKJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from WKJ
- List of Furthest Airports from WKJ
- Map of Nearest Airports to PIR
- List of Nearest Airports to PIR
- Map of Furthest Airports from PIR
- List of Furthest Airports from PIR
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Wakkanai Airport (WKJ), Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan and Pierre Regional Airport (PIR), Pierre, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,164 miles (or 8,311 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 Wakkanai Airport and Pierre Regional 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 Wakkanai Airport and Pierre Regional Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | WKJ / RJCW |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan |
GPS Coordinates: | 45°24'15"N by 141°48'7"E |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 27 feet (8 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from WKJ |
More Information: | WKJ Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PIR / KPIR |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Pierre, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°22'58"N by 100°17'9"W |
Area Served: | Pierre, South Dakota |
Operator/Owner: | City of Pierre |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1744 feet (532 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PIR |
More Information: | PIR Maps & Info |
Facts about Wakkanai Airport (WKJ):
- Wakkanai Airport (WKJ) currently has only 1 runway.
- Wakkanai is the northernmost airport in Japan which is capable of handling jet aircraft.
- The furthest airport from Wakkanai Airport (WKJ) is Port Stanley Airport (PSY), which is located 11,446 miles (18,420 kilometers) away in Stanley, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom.
- Until 1989, the JNR Temboku Line passed by the airport.
- In 1987, the 1,200 m main runway was extended to 1,800 m, allowing All Nippon Airways to begin jet service to Tokyo.
- The closest airport to Wakkanai Airport (WKJ) is Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport (MBE), which is located 109 miles (176 kilometers) SE of WKJ.
- Because of Wakkanai Airport's relatively low elevation of 27 feet, planes can take off or land at Wakkanai 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.
- In addition to being known as "Wakkanai Airport", other names for WKJ include "稚内空港" and "Wakkanai Kūkō".
Facts about Pierre Regional Airport (PIR):
- Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 15,983 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 13,692 in 2009 and 14,686 in 2010.
- The furthest airport from Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,493 miles (16,887 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The closest airport to Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) is Mobridge Municipal Airport (MBG), which is located 81 miles (130 kilometers) N of PIR.
- In addition to being known as "Pierre Regional Airport", another name for PIR is "Pierre Army Airfield".
- Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) has 2 runways.
- A new terminal has been designed, and construction began in late Spring, 2011.