Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and São José dos Campos, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport (SJK), São José dos Campos, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,018 miles (or 9,684 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 São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf 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 São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf 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):

• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• 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.
• The E-3A Component is NATO's first­ operational flying unit with multinational manning.
• 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 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.

Facts about São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport (SJK):

• Operated by Infraero, the airport shares some facilities with the Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology, Embraer and the flying club of São José dos Campos.
• The furthest airport from São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport (SJK) is Minami-Daito Airport (MMD), which is nearly antipodal to São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport (meaning São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Minami-Daito Airport), and is located 12,182 miles (19,604 kilometers) away in Minami Daito, Okinawa, Japan.
• The passenger terminal has a capacity for 90,000/year and is served by a snack bar, taxis and public telephones.
• The airport is located 12 km from downtown São José dos Campos.
• In addition to being known as "São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport", another name for SJK is "Aeroporto de São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf".
• São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport handled 160,229 passengers last year.
• São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport (SJK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to São José dos Campos-Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf Airport (SJK) is São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) WSW of SJK.