Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Don Muang, Bangkok, Thailand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), Don Muang, Bangkok, Thailand would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,670 miles (or 9,125 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 Don Mueang 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 Don Mueang 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 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.
• 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.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• 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.
• E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E­3A aircraft.
• 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.
• 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The E-3A Component is NATO's first­ operational flying unit with multinational manning.
• 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 in the Federal Republic of Germany, near the village of Teveren and six kilometers west of the town of Geilenkirchen.

Facts about Don Mueang International Airport (DMK):

• The night of 27–28 September 2006 was the official end of operations at Don Mueang airport.
• In addition to being known as "Don Mueang International Airport", another name for DMK is "ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง".
• Because of Don Mueang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Don Mueang 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 furthest airport from Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), which is nearly antipodal to Don Mueang International Airport (meaning Don Mueang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Jorge Chávez International Airport), and is located 12,235 miles (19,691 kilometers) away in Callao (near Lima), Peru.
• On 16 March 2012, Government of Thailand, Yingluck ordered all low-cost, chartered and non-connecting flights to relocate to Don Mueang International Airport, ending the single-airport policy.
• Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) has 2 runways.
• An RTAF golf course is located between the two runways.
• Don Mueang is a joint-use facility with the Royal Thai Air Force's Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, and is the home of the RTAF 1st Air Division, which consists primarily of non-combat aircraft.
• During the Vietnam War, Don Mueang was a major command and logistics hub of the United States Air Force.
• The closest airport to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) SSE of DMK.
• Originally, the only access was by rail service connecting with Hua Lamphong Railway Station in the center of Bangkok.
• Don Mueang International Airport has 3 terminals.
• Because of the 2011 Thailand floods that affected Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, the airport was closed as flood waters flowed on to the runways and affected the lighting.
• Although initially deserted by commercial carriers upon the opening of the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the higher costs of the new airport to operators as well as safety concerns over cracked runways at the new airport caused many to seek a return to Don Mueang.