Nonstop flight route between Budapest, Hungary and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), Budapest, Hungary and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 643 miles (or 1,035 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 relatively short distance between Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD):

• In 1974, passenger traffic reached one million.
• However the airport had lost Malév's transfer passengers, which, prior to the airline's collapse, had amounted to 1.5 million passengers per year.
• This time, the Hungarian State, sole owner of the airport, opted for a partial privatisation with the integration of a private strategic partner with international experience.
• In 1938 the idea of building a new airport in Budapest was born.
• Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport handled 8,520,880 passengers last year.
• Because of Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport's relatively low elevation of 495 feet, planes can take off or land at Budapest Ferenc Liszt 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.
• In addition to being known as "Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport", another name for BUD is "Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér".
• Originally called Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, on 25 March 2011 it was officially renamed Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, in honour of the Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt The change caused some controversy because the Committee of Geographical Names, which is the sole competent body in naming geographical objects, suggested another version – Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér, Budapest–Ferihegy – in order to keep the historical name.
• The furthest airport from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,639 miles (18,730 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) is Sliač Airport (SLD), which is located 83 miles (134 kilometers) N of BUD.
• Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) has 2 runways.

Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):

• The E-3A Component is NATO's first­ operational flying unit with multinational manning.
• The closest airport to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Merzbrück Airfield (AAH), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SSE of GKE.
• The E-3A Component directly employs more than 3,000 personnel at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen and therefore has a significant economic impact in the surrounding communities.
• The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• Major construction on the base initially included a new 3,000-metre runway with a width of 45 metres, as well as aprons and taxiways, a control tower, an Information Technology Wing building, on-base accommodation and major renovation of the four existing hangars.
• The Component operates seventeen Boeing E-3A AWACS aircraft all of which are based on the Boeing 707 airframe Trainer Cargo Aircraft but which have since been retired).
• An Economic Impact Study compiled by the NATO E-3A Component shows a 2008 economic impact of 275.8 million euro within a 200-kilometer radius of the base.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,929 miles (19,198 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component's relatively low elevation of 296 feet, planes can take off or land at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component 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.
• In January 1980 the first E-3A Component personnel started arriving at the base, and in October 1980 the NATO Defence Planning Committee granted the E-3A Component the status of a NATO International Military Headquarters.