Nonstop flight route between Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Cottbus-Drewitz Airport (CBU), Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 371 miles (or 597 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 Cottbus-Drewitz 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 Cottbus-Drewitz Airport (CBU):

• Because of Cottbus-Drewitz Airport's relatively low elevation of 276 feet, planes can take off or land at Cottbus-Drewitz 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.
• Due to investors pulling out, there has been several failed attempts to turn the civilian airport into a freight hub with a 3000 m runway, similar in concept to Frankfurt-Hahn.
• Upon German reunification in 1990, the Luftwaffe officially took over the airport once again but after 1993, the airport's new owners, Flughafen Süd-Brandenburg-Cottbus GmbH, had opened it up for civilian use.
• In addition to being known as "Cottbus-Drewitz Airport", other names for CBU include "Flugplatz Cottbus-Drewitz" and "Cottbus- Drewitz Airport".
• The furthest airport from Cottbus-Drewitz Airport (CBU) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,683 miles (18,801 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Cottbus-Drewitz Airport (CBU) is Berlin Schönefeld Airport (SXF), which is located 55 miles (88 kilometers) NW of CBU.
• Cottbus-Drewitz Airport (CBU) has 2 runways.
• Aside from a bistro serving the terminal, there is also a small aviation museum and flying school.

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

• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E­3A aircraft.
• Since that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
• 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.
• Normally, only a certain number of the E-3As and TCAs are present at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen at any given time.
• 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.
• 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen is located near Geilenkirchen, Germany.
• 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.
• Surrounded by farmland and a natural woodland reserve, the base was originally built by the Royal Air Force after World War II and operated as RAF Geilenkirchen from 1953 onwards.