Nonstop flight route between Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH), Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,026 miles (or 8,089 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 Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International 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 Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International 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 Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH):

• The furthest airport from Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,433 miles (18,399 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• In addition to being known as "Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport", another name for ZIH is "Aeropuerto Internacional de Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo".
• The closest airport to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH) is Lázaro Cárdenas Airport (LZC), which is located 57 miles (92 kilometers) WNW of ZIH.
• Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport's relatively low elevation of 26 feet, planes can take off or land at Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International 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):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.