Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Riga, Latvia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to RIX:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- RIX Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about RIX
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RIX
- List of Nearest Airports to RIX
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIX
- List of Furthest Airports from RIX
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Riga International Airport (RIX), Riga, Latvia would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,676 miles (or 7,525 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 Eareckson Air Station and Riga International 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 Eareckson Air Station and Riga International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RIX / EVRA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Riga, Latvia |
GPS Coordinates: | 56°55'24"N by 23°58'15"E |
Area Served: | Riga, Latvia |
Operator/Owner: | Government of Latvia |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 36 feet (11 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from RIX |
More Information: | RIX Maps & Info |
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 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.
- On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
- 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.
- In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
Facts about Riga International Airport (RIX):
- The airport is located in the Mārupe municipality 5.4 NM west of Riga and is a state-owned joint-stock company, with the owner of all shares being the government of Latvia.
- Riga International Airport (RIX) currently has only 1 runway.
- Busiest airports by passenger traffic in the Baltic States
- In 2006, the new north terminal extension was opened.
- The furthest airport from Riga International Airport (RIX) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,169 miles (17,975 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to Riga International Airport (RIX) is Šiauliai International Airport (SQQ), which is located 74 miles (120 kilometers) SSW of RIX.
- The Latvian government plans to build another terminal capable of handling 20 million passengers a year.
- In addition to being known as "Riga International Airport", another name for RIX is "Starptautiskā lidosta “Rīga”".
- Because of Riga International Airport's relatively low elevation of 36 feet, planes can take off or land at Riga 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.