Why do planes rarely fly over the Pacific Ocean, despite shortening the path?

There are three main reasons why planes often fly past the Pacific Ocean rather than cross it directly.

1. Route properties. In fact, airplanes only fly in curved lines. This is often explained by the fact that the path of an aircraft passes through the so-called air corridor. This corridor is strictly controlled in special centers. If there is a change in this route, the controllers will immediately notify the pilots. This allows the aircraft to better avoid dangerous areas.

2. Errors in maps. Flat maps actually have many inaccuracies. Therefore, it often happens that the distance between objects on the map and in reality is different. In addition, our Earth is not flat, but spherical. This means that the shortest path on it is an arc, not a straight line. Therefore, all routes are built in a curved line, including the one from Los Angeles to Singapore.

3. Emergencies and security. The Pacific Ocean is huge, so if the engines suddenly fail in the middle of the ocean, there will be no place to land. The only option is to make an emergency landing on the water. Aviation regulations also state that an aircraft must always be able to reach the nearest airport. Moreover, this airport should be within a maximum of three hours, and this is impossible when flying over the Pacific Ocean.