Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Lauro Kurtz Airport (PFB), Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,522 miles (or 10,496 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 Lauro Kurtz 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 Lauro Kurtz 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):

• E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E­3A aircraft.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Surrounded by farmland and a natural woodland reserve, the base was originally built by the Royal Air Force after World War II and operated as RAF Geilenkirchen from 1953 onwards.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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).
• 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.

Facts about Lauro Kurtz Airport (PFB):

• In addition to being known as "Lauro Kurtz Airport", another name for PFB is "Aeroporto Lauro Kurtz".
• Lauro Kurtz Airport (PFB) currently has only 1 runway.
• Lauro Kurtz Airport is the airport serving Passo Fundo, Brazil.
• The closest airport to Lauro Kurtz Airport (PFB) is Erechim Airport (ERM), which is located 41 miles (65 kilometers) N of PFB.
• The furthest airport from Lauro Kurtz Airport (PFB) is Iejima Airport (IEJ), which is nearly antipodal to Lauro Kurtz Airport (meaning Lauro Kurtz Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Iejima Airport), and is located 12,331 miles (19,845 kilometers) away in Iejima, Japan.