Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Xilinhot Airport (XIL), Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,658 miles (or 7,496 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 Xilinhot 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 Xilinhot 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):

• 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 E-3A Component directly employs more than 3,000 personnel at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen and therefore has a significant economic impact in the surrounding communities.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• 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.

Facts about Xilinhot Airport (XIL):

• The furthest airport from Xilinhot Airport (XIL) is Almirante Marcos A. Zar Airport (REL), which is nearly antipodal to Xilinhot Airport (meaning Xilinhot Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Almirante Marcos A. Zar Airport), and is located 12,358 miles (19,887 kilometers) away in Trelew, Chubut, Argentina.
• Xilinhot Airport (XIL) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Xilinhot Airport", other names for XIL include "锡林浩特机场" and "Xīlínhàotè Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Xilinhot Airport (XIL) is Chifeng Airport (CIF), which is located 189 miles (304 kilometers) SE of XIL.