Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Incheon (near Seoul), South Korea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Incheon International Airport (ICN), Incheon (near Seoul), South Korea would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,342 miles (or 8,598 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 Incheon 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 Incheon 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Incheon International Airport (ICN):

• Incheon International Airport handled 41,482,828 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Incheon International Airport", other names for ICN include "인천국제공항 仁川國際空港" and "Incheon Gukje Gonghang Inch'ŏn Kukche Konghang".
• Because of Incheon International Airport's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Incheon 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 Incheon International Airport (ICN) is Villa Gesell Airport (VLG), which is nearly antipodal to Incheon International Airport (meaning Incheon International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Villa Gesell Airport), and is located 12,246 miles (19,707 kilometers) away in Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Phase 2 construction began in 2002, and was originally expected to be completed in December 2008.
• The closest airport to Incheon International Airport (ICN) is Gimpo International Airport (GMP), which is located 20 miles (33 kilometers) ENE of ICN.
• The main passenger terminal is the largest airport terminal in area in South Korea.
• Estimated to be completed in 2020, this is the final and the ultimate construction stage.
• The Incheon International Airport Railroad connects Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station in downtown Seoul.
• Initially, there were numerous problems, mostly involving baggage handling, which required the system to be operated semi-automatically.
• Incheon International Airport (ICN) has 3 runways.