Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Guiyang, Guizhou, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE), Guiyang, Guizhou, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,251 miles (or 8,451 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 Guiyang Longdongbao 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 Guiyang Longdongbao 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):

• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• 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 that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• 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.
• 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.
• E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E­3A aircraft.
• 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 Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE):

• The furthest airport from Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE) is Chañaral Airport (CNR), which is nearly antipodal to Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (meaning Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chañaral Airport), and is located 12,276 miles (19,756 kilometers) away in Chañaral, Atacama Region, Chile.
• in 2011, Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport was the 25th busiest airport in the People's Republic of China with 7,339,229 passengers.
• The closest airport to Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE) is Anshun Huangguoshu Airport (AVA), which is located 61 miles (97 kilometers) WSW of KWE.
• In addition to being known as "Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport", other names for KWE include "贵阳龙洞堡国际机场" and "Guìyáng Lóngdòngbǎo Guójì Jīchǎng".
• Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport handled 7,339,229 passengers last year.