Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Tobruk, Libya:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to TOB:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- TOB Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about TOB
- 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 TOB
- List of Nearest Airports to TOB
- Map of Furthest Airports from TOB
- List of Furthest Airports from TOB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Tobruk International Airport (TOB), Tobruk, Libya would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,587 miles (or 2,553 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 Tobruk International 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: | TOB / HLGN |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Tobruk, Libya |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°5'45"N by 23°50'14"E |
Area Served: | Cyrenaica |
Operator/Owner: | Civil Aviation, and Libyan Armed Forces |
Airport Type: | Public/Military |
View all routes: | Routes from TOB |
More Information: | TOB Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The E-3A Component is NATO's first operational flying unit with multinational manning.
- Normally, only a certain number of the E-3As and TCAs are present at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen at any given time.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen is located in the Federal Republic of Germany, near the village of Teveren and six kilometers west of the town of Geilenkirchen.
Facts about Tobruk International Airport (TOB):
- The furthest airport from Tobruk International Airport (TOB) is Mangaia Island Airport (MGS), which is located 11,724 miles (18,868 kilometers) away in Mangaia Island, Cook Islands.
- Tobruk Airport is an airport in Tobruk, eastern Libya.
- In addition to being known as "Tobruk International Airport", another name for TOB is "مطار طبرق الدولي".
- At the beginning of World War II, Libya was an Italian colony and Tobruk became the site of important battles between the Allies and Axis powers.
- 19 - 27 is scheduled for maintenance.
- The closest airport to Tobruk International Airport (TOB) is Al Bayda - Al abraq Airport (LAQ), which is located 119 miles (192 kilometers) WNW of TOB.
- The first international passenger flight was to Alexandria in Egypt.