Nonstop flight route between Walla Walla, Washington, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from ALW to THU:
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- About this route
- ALW Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about ALW
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to ALW
- List of Nearest Airports to ALW
- Map of Furthest Airports from ALW
- List of Furthest Airports from ALW
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base (ALW), Walla Walla, Washington, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,512 miles (or 4,042 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 Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base and Thule 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 Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base and Thule Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ALW / KALW |
| Airport Name: | Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base |
| Location: | Walla Walla, Washington, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 46°5'40"N by 118°17'20"W |
| Area Served: | Walla Walla, Washington |
| Operator/Owner: | Port of Walla Walla |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1194 feet (364 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ALW |
| More Information: | ALW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Pituffik, Greenland |
| GPS Coordinates: | 76°31'51"N by 68°42'11"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from THU |
| More Information: | THU Maps & Info |
Facts about Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base (ALW):
- Historically, Walla Walla had scheduled passenger jet service in the past provided by West Coast Airlines which operated Douglas DC-9-14 jetliners and also by Cascade Airways which flew British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twinjets.
- In 1947 the United States Air Force declared the Walla Walla Airfield surplus and on December 1, 1947 the City and County took over operations.
- The furthest airport from Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base (ALW) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,768 miles (17,330 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- During the war years, it is estimated that more than 8,000 officers and men were trained at this base producing 594 heavy bomber crews who compiled about 114,514 hours in the air while in training.
- The closest airport to Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base (ALW) is Eastern Oregon Regional Airport (PDT), which is located 38 miles (62 kilometers) SW of ALW.
- Walla Walla Regional AirportWalla Walla Army Air Base (ALW) has 3 runways.
- In 1989, the "Port of Walla Walla" took over ownership and operational responsibility of the airport from the city and county of Walla Walla.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- A delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- The furthest airport from Thule Air Base (THU) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 9,883 miles (15,905 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- In 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression - this agreement faced Kaufmann with a charge of high treason.
