Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Tarin Kowt Airport (TII), Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,230 miles (or 5,198 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 Tarin Kowt 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 Tarin Kowt 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.
• Following NATO’s decision to establish the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force program and to make the base near Teveren the Main Operating Base of the E­3A Component, a major construction program was started in 1980 to modify the operational and support facilities.
• 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 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.

Facts about Tarin Kowt Airport (TII):

• The furthest airport from Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,967 miles (19,258 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 4,495 feet above mean sea level.
• On 29 June 2009, Kam Air started flying between Kabul and Tarin Kowt three times a week.
• Because of Tarin Kowt Airport's high elevation of 4,495 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at TII. Combined with a high temperature, this could make TII a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Tarin Kowt Airport", another name for TII is "Tarin Kowt Airport (Tarin Kowt)".
• Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Tarin Kowt Airport (TII) is Kabul International Airport (KDH), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) S of TII.