Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Nanwalek (English Bay), Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport) (KEB), Nanwalek (English Bay), Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,715 miles (or 7,589 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 Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay 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 Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay 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 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).
• 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport) (KEB):

• The furthest airport from Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport) (KEB) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,680 miles (17,188 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• This airport is considered the shortest runway in the USA used by US commuter airlines.
• Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport) (KEB) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport)'s relatively low elevation of 27 feet, planes can take off or land at Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay 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 closest airport to Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport) (KEB) is Port Graham Airport (PGM), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) E of KEB.
• In addition to being known as "Nanwalek Airport (formerly English Bay Airport)", another name for KEB is "none".
• A Cessna 206 belonging to Smokey Bay Air crashed near Nanwalek Airport on takeoff on December 15, 2011.