Nonstop flight route between Alotau, Papua New Guinea and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GUR to THU:
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- About this route
- GUR Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about GUR
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to GUR
- List of Nearest Airports to GUR
- Map of Furthest Airports from GUR
- List of Furthest Airports from GUR
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Gurney Airport (GUR), Alotau, Papua New Guinea and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,643 miles (or 12,300 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 Gurney Airport and Thule Air Base, 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 Gurney Airport and Thule Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GUR / AYGN |
| Airport Name: | Gurney Airport |
| Location: | Alotau, Papua New Guinea |
| GPS Coordinates: | 10°18'41"S by 150°20'0"E |
| Area Served: | Alotau, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea |
| Operator/Owner: | Government |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 89 feet (27 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GUR |
| More Information: | GUR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Pituffik, Greenland |
| GPS Coordinates: | 76°31'51"N by 68°42'11"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from THU |
| More Information: | THU Maps & Info |
Facts about Gurney Airport (GUR):
- Because of Gurney Airport's relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Gurney Airport 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 closest airport to Gurney Airport (GUR) is Vivigani Airport (VIV), which is located 69 miles (112 kilometers) N of GUR.
- The furthest airport from Gurney Airport (GUR) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,966 miles (19,257 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
- Built by the US Army 96th Engineer General Service Regiment, Company E of 46th Engineer General Service Regiment and No.
- Gurney Airport (GUR) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression - this agreement faced Kaufmann with a charge of high treason.
- The furthest airport from Thule Air Base (THU) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 9,883 miles (15,905 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
- In the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
