Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Colonia del Sacramento, Colonia, Uruguay:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Laguna de los Patos International Airport (CYR), Colonia del Sacramento, Colonia, Uruguay would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,057 miles (or 11,357 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 Laguna de los Patos 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 Laguna de los Patos 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 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).
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Normally, only a certain number of the E-3As and TCAs are present at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen at any given time.
• 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.
• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Laguna de los Patos International Airport (CYR):

• The airport is located 17 km from downtown Colonia del Sacramento along route 1.
• In addition to being known as "Laguna de los Patos International Airport", another name for CYR is "Aeropuerto Internacional Laguna de los Patos".
• Because of Laguna de los Patos International Airport's relatively low elevation of 66 feet, planes can take off or land at Laguna de los Patos 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.
• The closest airport to Laguna de los Patos International Airport (CYR) is La Plata Airport (LPG), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) S of CYR.
• The furthest airport from Laguna de los Patos International Airport (CYR) is Yancheng Nanyang Airport (YNZ), which is nearly antipodal to Laguna de los Patos International Airport (meaning Laguna de los Patos International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Yancheng Nanyang Airport), and is located 12,301 miles (19,796 kilometers) away in Yancheng, Jiangsu, China.
• Laguna de los Patos International Airport (CYR) currently has only 1 runway.
• There are plans to develop this airport in a partnership between BQB Líneas Aéreas and the Uruguayan Government.
• Presently the airport is dedicated to general aviation.