Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Willmar, Minnesota, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to ILL:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- ILL Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about ILL
- 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 ILL
- List of Nearest Airports to ILL
- Map of Furthest Airports from ILL
- List of Furthest Airports from ILL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL), Willmar, Minnesota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,307 miles (or 6,932 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 Willmar Municipal 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 Willmar Municipal 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: | ILL / KILL |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Willmar, Minnesota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 45°7'4"N by 95°7'50"W |
Area Served: | Willmar, Minnesota |
Operator/Owner: | City of Willmar |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1126 feet (343 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ILL |
More Information: | ILL Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- 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 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.
- 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.
- The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
Facts about Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL):
- Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,664 miles (17,162 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL) is Benson Municipal Airport (BBB), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) WNW of ILL.
- Willmar Municipal Airport, also known as John L.
- In addition to being known as "Willmar Municipal Airport", other names for ILL include "John L. Rice Field", "KBDH" and "BDH".
- The first Willmar Municipal Airport was established in 1934 as a federal work relief project during the New Deal.