Nonstop flight route between Yakutat, Alaska, United States and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Yakutat Airport (YAK), Yakutat, Alaska, United States and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,643 miles (or 7,472 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 Yakutat Airport and Lajes Air Base, 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 Yakutat Airport and Lajes Air Base. 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 Yakutat Airport (YAK):

• Yakutat Airport (YAK) has 2 runways.
• Yakutat Airport origins date from 1940 when Yakutat Army Airfield was constructed as part of the United States Army's long-range defense program for Alaska.
• The closest airport to Yakutat Airport (YAK) is Icy Bay Airport (ICY), which is located 77 miles (124 kilometers) WNW of YAK.
• The furthest airport from Yakutat Airport (YAK) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,551 miles (16,979 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• In addition to being known as "Yakutat Airport", another name for YAK is "Yakutat Army Airfield".
• Because of Yakutat Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Yakutat 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 Lajes Air Base (TER):

• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• In 1980, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Terceira Island.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• Base Aérea das LajesBase Aérea Nº 4Aeroporto das Lajes
• Lajes supported the large airlift during the Gulf War.
• In August 2006, Portuguese news agencies reported that both governments were in discussions for a new agreement that could allow the use of Lajes for the training of a permanent F-22 Raptor squadron.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.