Nonstop flight route between Galena, Alaska, United States and Þórshöfn, Iceland:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GAL to THO:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- GAL Airport Information
- THO Airport Information
- Facts about GAL
- Facts about THO
- Map of Nearest Airports to GAL
- List of Nearest Airports to GAL
- Map of Furthest Airports from GAL
- List of Furthest Airports from GAL
- Map of Nearest Airports to THO
- List of Nearest Airports to THO
- Map of Furthest Airports from THO
- List of Furthest Airports from THO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL), Galena, Alaska, United States and Þórshöfn Airport (THO), Þórshöfn, Iceland would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,189 miles (or 5,132 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport and Þórshöfn 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport and Þórshöfn Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GAL / PAGA |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Galena, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 64°44'9"N by 156°56'15"W |
Area Served: | Galena, Alaska |
Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 153 feet (47 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from GAL |
More Information: | GAL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | THO / BITN |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Þórshöfn, Iceland |
GPS Coordinates: | 66°13'5"N by 15°20'8"W |
Area Served: | Þórshöfn, Iceland |
Operator/Owner: | ISAVIA |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 64 feet (20 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from THO |
More Information: | THO Maps & Info |
Facts about Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL):
- Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) has 2 runways.
- In addition to being known as "Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport", another name for GAL is "(former Galena Air Force Base)".
- As Galena Air Force Base, it was used by the USAF during the Cold War as an interceptor base for aircraft patrolling the western areas of Alaska.
- The furthest airport from Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,313 miles (16,598 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
- The airport also sports a ski-jump takeoff ramp at one end and provisions for arresting gear at the other, a leftover from the Cold War years as Galena Air Force Base, as tactical aircraft required more landing and takeoff space than was available on the runway.
- Because of Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport's relatively low elevation of 153 feet, planes can take off or land at Edward G. Pitka Sr. 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 closest airport to Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is Koyukuk Airport (KYU), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) WNW of GAL.
Facts about Þórshöfn Airport (THO):
- Þórshöfn Airport (THO) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Þórshöfn Airport's relatively low elevation of 64 feet, planes can take off or land at Þórshöfn 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 Þórshöfn Airport (THO) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,096 miles (17,857 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to Þórshöfn Airport (THO) is Vopnafjörður Airport (VPN), which is located 37 miles (60 kilometers) SSE of THO.
- In addition to being known as "Þórshöfn Airport", another name for THO is "Þórshafnarflugvöllur".