Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and El Trompillo Airport (SRZ), Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,316 miles (or 10,165 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 El Trompillo 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 El Trompillo 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):

• 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 Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• 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.
• 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• 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.

Facts about El Trompillo Airport (SRZ):

• The closest airport to El Trompillo Airport (SRZ) is Viru Viru International Airport (VVI), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of SRZ.
• The furthest airport from El Trompillo Airport (SRZ) is San Fernando Airport (SFE), which is nearly antipodal to El Trompillo Airport (meaning El Trompillo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from San Fernando Airport), and is located 12,193 miles (19,622 kilometers) away in San Fernando City, La Union, Philippines.
• El Trompillo Airport is located in the south part of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, about 2 km away from the central plaza.
• The first airlines to use this airport were Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, known as LAB, and Panagra.
• El Trompillo Airport (SRZ) currently has only 1 runway.