Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Sliač, Slovakia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to SLD:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- SLD Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about SLD
- 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 SLD
- List of Nearest Airports to SLD
- Map of Furthest Airports from SLD
- List of Furthest Airports from SLD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Sliač Airport (SLD), Sliač, Slovakia would travel a Great Circle distance of 605 miles (or 973 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 relatively short distance between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Sliač Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
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: | SLD / LZSL |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Sliač, Slovakia |
GPS Coordinates: | 48°38'17"N by 19°8'3"E |
Operator/Owner: | Letisko Sliač a.s. |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 1043 feet (318 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SLD |
More Information: | SLD Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- 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.
- Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
- Since that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
- 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 fleet of E-3's has remained in operation since the Cold War and has adapted its mission to emerging security threats, primarily in European airspace.
- 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).
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- 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 Sliač Airport (SLD):
- The closest airport to Sliač Airport (SLD) is Žilina Airport (ILZ), which is located 47 miles (76 kilometers) NNW of SLD.
- Sliač Airport (SLD) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Sliač Airport (SLD) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,622 miles (18,704 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- In addition to being known as "Sliač Airport", another name for SLD is "Letisko Sliač".