Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Nedumbassery near Kochi (Cochin), Kerala, India:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Cochin International Airport (COK), Nedumbassery near Kochi (Cochin), Kerala, India would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,822 miles (or 7,760 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 Cochin International 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Cochin International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

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

• The E-3A Component is NATO's first­ operational flying unit with multinational manning.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• 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 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.
• Following NATO’s decision to establish the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force program and to make the base near Teveren the Main Operating Base of the E­3A Component, a major construction program was started in 1980 to modify the operational and support facilities.

Facts about Cochin International Airport (COK):

• Because of Cochin International Airport's relatively low elevation of 30 feet, planes can take off or land at Cochin 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.
• After the construction of the new international terminal, it is planned to convert the existing international terminal to a domestic terminal and reserve the current domestic terminal for business jets.
• The furthest airport from Cochin International Airport (COK) is Seymour Airport (GPS), which is located 11,301 miles (18,187 kilometers) away in Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
• The airport had 18,580 m2 of floor space at its inauguration.
• The AAI has installed an advanced Rs 160m airport surveillance radar as well as monopulse secondary surveillance radar.
• Cochin International Airport (COK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Cochin International Airport", another name for COK is "Nedumbassery Airport".
• The facility was formally inaugurated by the president of India on 25 May 1999, and the first commercial service began on 10 June 1999.
• The closest airport to Cochin International Airport (COK) is Calicut International Airport (CCJ), which is located 74 miles (119 kilometers) NNW of COK.
• The current domestic terminal would be converted into "Royal Pavilion" and would handle VIP and private chartered flights and jets.
• The original air facilities in Kochi were an aerodrome and airstrip on Willingdon Island, built in 1936 by the British Residency of Kingdom of Kochi, intended for transporting British officials involved in the development of Cochin Port.