Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Eagle, Colorado (near Vail), United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to EGE:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- EGE Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about EGE
- 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 EGE
- List of Nearest Airports to EGE
- Map of Furthest Airports from EGE
- List of Furthest Airports from EGE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE), Eagle, Colorado (near Vail), United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,986 miles (or 8,024 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 Eagle County Regional 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 Eagle County Regional Airport. 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: | EGE / KEGE |
Airport Name: | Eagle County Regional Airport |
Location: | Eagle, Colorado (near Vail), United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 39°38'32"N by 106°55'4"W |
Area Served: | Eagle, Colorado |
Operator/Owner: | Eagle County |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 6547 feet (1,996 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from EGE |
More Information: | EGE 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.
- The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
- 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.
- 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 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 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.
- 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.
Facts about Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE):
- There are several private charter companies that offer ground transportation service to Vail, Beaver Creek, and Aspen.
- Eagle County Regional Airport, sometimes referred to as Vail/Eagle Airport or the Eagle Vail Airport, is a public airport located four miles west of Eagle, Colorado, United States.
- Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) currently has only 1 runway.
- Eagle County Regional Airport handled 218,105 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is Aspen–Pitkin County Airport (ASE), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) S of EGE.
- The furthest airport from Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,946 miles (17,617 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Because of Eagle County Regional Airport's high elevation of 6,547 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at EGE. Combined with a high temperature, this could make EGE a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The airport is largely seasonal, with the greatest number of scheduled flights operating during the winter months.