Since the opening of Russia and the recent ease of getting clearances and crossing Russia and Siberia, a lot of Northern Hemisphere pilots have been tempted to use that short route to fly around the World.

Please see the NOTE at the bottom of the page.

That route, due to its high latitude is much shorter than any other route done further South. It is also very much easier to cross the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait than further South like between Hawaii and California or between Easter Island and Chile. The average length of a route done further South is 25, 000 NM and the average length of that rather new "Short Northern Route" is only 16,000 NM.

Also pilots from the Southern Hemisphere wanting to use that short Pacific crossing through the Bering Strait would have to cross the Equator to reach Alaska and Siberia.

With this in mind and without diminishing the merit of those RTW through that "Short Northern Route", we should make a difference between the two ways of crossing the Pacific Ocean, one being much longer and a lot more difficult and demanding and more adventurous than the other.

One could be called: the "Short Northern Route", and any of the others could be called: the "Long Southern Route" and mention of the crossing of the Equator if done

Approximate distances across the Pacific Ocean: Not to be used for navigation.

FROM	ICAO	TO	ICAO	KM	NM
NORTHERN ROUTE
Anadyr (Russia)	UHMA	Nome (Alaska)	PAOM	800	430
Provideniya (Russia)	UHMD	Nome (Alaska)	PAOM	375	660
Anadyr (Russia)	UHMA	Anchorage (Alaska)	PANC	1660	900
Provideniya (Russia)	UHMD	Anchorage (Alaska)	PANC	1220	660
Kuchiro, Hokkaido (Japan)	RJCK	Adak (Aleutians)	PADK	2600	1620
Kuchiro, Hokkaido (Japan)	RJCK	Casco Cove, Attu Island (Aleutians)	KATU	2451	1323
CENTRE ROUTE
Hilo (Hawaii)	PTHO	Santa Barbara (California)	KSBA	3825	2065
SOUTHERN ROUTE
Easter Island (Chili)	SCIP	Santiago (Chile)	SCEL	3825	2065

Approximate numbers of known crossings of the Pacific Ocean:

Northern Route (via the Bering Strait)	196
Center Route (via Hawaii)	73
Southern Route (via Easter Island)	26

NOTE:
All this was written before the invasion of Ukraine by Putin's army.
Since that, it appears that the Russian Airspace is closed to some foreign aircraft.
A full list of mutual restrictions is published on the MAK Aero website at
https://www.mak.aero/crisis