Nonstop flight route between Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Westerland, Germany:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from BIF to GWT:
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- About this route
- BIF Airport Information
- GWT Airport Information
- Facts about BIF
- Facts about GWT
- Map of Nearest Airports to BIF
- List of Nearest Airports to BIF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIF
- List of Furthest Airports from BIF
- Map of Nearest Airports to GWT
- List of Nearest Airports to GWT
- Map of Furthest Airports from GWT
- List of Furthest Airports from GWT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Sylt Airport (GWT), Westerland, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,309 miles (or 8,545 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 Biggs Army Airfield and Sylt 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 Biggs Army Airfield and Sylt Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BIF / KBIF |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°50'57"N by 106°22'47"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 3946 feet (1,203 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BIF |
More Information: | BIF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GWT / EDXW |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Westerland, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 54°54'47"N by 8°20'26"E |
Area Served: | Sylt, Germany |
Operator/Owner: | Flughafen Sylt GmbH |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 51 feet (16 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from GWT |
More Information: | GWT Maps & Info |
Facts about Biggs Army Airfield (BIF):
- The furthest airport from Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,387 miles (18,325 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- In 1920 Camp Owen Bierne opened on the site of the current airbase as a base for airship operations but the units were soon disbanded.
- Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) currently has only 1 runway.
- In 1958, the ability of the B-47 to penetrate Soviet airspace became compromised by improvements to the Soviet air defense system.
- The 97th operated B-29s from Biggs, and participated in numerous exercises, operational readiness inspections, and overseas deployments.
- The closest airport to Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is El Paso International Airport (ELP), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) S of BIF.
- With World War II imminent, a massive construction effort was begun at Biggs Army Airfield between 1942–1945.
- While in Alaska, the 97th Bombardment Wing had been activated under the Hobson Plan, and the 97th Bomb Group became a subordinate organization under the wing.
- After World War II, B-29 Superfortress personnel replacement training ended in October.
- In addition to being known as "Biggs Army Airfield", another name for BIF is "Biggs Air Force BaseBiggs Field".
Facts about Sylt Airport (GWT):
- During World War II the airport was significantly redeveloped and enlarged to serve as a military base.
- In addition to being known as "Sylt Airport", another name for GWT is "Flughafen Sylt".
- Because of Sylt Airport's relatively low elevation of 51 feet, planes can take off or land at Sylt 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.
- The furthest airport from Sylt Airport (GWT) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,640 miles (18,733 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Sylt Airport (GWT) has 2 runways.
- Sylt Airport handled 21,000 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to Sylt Airport (GWT) is Vojens Airport (SKS), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) ENE of GWT.