Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT), Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,894 miles (or 15,923 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 Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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 Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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):

• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• Normally, only a certain number of the E-3As and TCAs are present at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen at any given time.
• 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• 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.

Facts about Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT):

• The closest airport to Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) is Wallis Island (WLS), which is located 145 miles (233 kilometers) ENE of FUT.
• Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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 Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) is Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM), which is nearly antipodal to Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (meaning Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Diori Hamani International Airport), and is located 12,377 miles (19,919 kilometers) away in Niamey, Niger.