Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Buenos Aires, Costa Rica:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to BAI:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- BAI Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about BAI
- Map of Nearest Airports to GKE
- List of Nearest Airports to GKE
- Map of Furthest Airports from GKE
- List of Furthest Airports from GKE
- Map of Nearest Airports to BAI
- List of Nearest Airports to BAI
- Map of Furthest Airports from BAI
- List of Furthest Airports from BAI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI), Buenos Aires, Costa Rica would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,700 miles (or 9,174 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Buenos Aires Airporrt, 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Buenos Aires Airporrt. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GKE / ETNG |
Airport Name: | NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component |
Location: | Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°57'38"N by 6°2'33"E |
Operator/Owner: | NATO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 296 feet (90 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GKE |
More Information: | GKE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BAI / MRBA |
Airport Name: | Buenos Aires Airporrt |
Location: | Buenos Aires, Costa Rica |
GPS Coordinates: | 9°9'48"N by 83°19'47"W |
Area Served: | Buenos Aires, Costa Rica |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1214 feet (370 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BAI |
More Information: | BAI Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
- 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.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- The fleet of E-3's has remained in operation since the Cold War and has adapted its mission to emerging security threats, primarily in European airspace.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 E-3A Component is NATO's first operational flying unit with multinational manning.
Facts about Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI):
- The furthest airport from Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Buenos Aires Airporrt (meaning Buenos Aires Airporrt is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,228 miles (19,678 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- The closest airport to Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) is Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) SSW of BAI.
- Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) currently has only 1 runway.