Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA), Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,931 miles (or 7,935 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 Idaho Falls 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 Idaho Falls Regional 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.
• 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.
• 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 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).
• Since that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
• 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.
• Following NATO’s decision to establish the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force program and to make the base near Teveren the Main Operating Base of the E­3A Component, a major construction program was started in 1980 to modify the operational and support facilities.
• 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 E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA):

• The airport terminal has been expanded twice and partially re-built once.
• Because of Idaho Falls Regional Airport's high elevation of 4,744 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at IDA. Combined with a high temperature, this could make IDA a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The airport has struggled to maintain a restaurant operator in the past.
• The closest airport to Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) is Dubois Municipal Airport (DBS), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) N of IDA.
• The furthest airport from Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,774 miles (17,339 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Idaho Falls Regional Airport", another name for IDA is "Fanning Field".