Nonstop flight route between Hat Yai, Songkhla Province, Thailand and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hat Yai International Airport (HDY), Hat Yai, Songkhla Province, Thailand and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,035 miles (or 9,712 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 Hat Yai International Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component, 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 Hat Yai International Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component. 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 Hat Yai International Airport (HDY):

• Hat Yai International Airport handled 2,465,370 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) is Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR), which is located 51 miles (82 kilometers) S of HDY.
• There are seven taxiways and an apron area of 56,461 m².
• The runway can handle 30 flights per hour and its durability is rated at PCN 60/F/C/X/T.
• Because of Hat Yai International Airport's relatively low elevation of 90 feet, planes can take off or land at Hat Yai International 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.
• During the 2005 Songkhla bombings, a bomb planted at the departure lounge by Pattani separatists exploded on April 3, 2005, killing one passenger and injuring 10.
• In addition to being known as "Hat Yai International Airport", another name for HDY is "ท่าอากาศยานหาดใหญ่".
• The furthest airport from Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) is Cap. FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport (CIX), which is nearly antipodal to Hat Yai International Airport (meaning Hat Yai International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap. FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport), and is located 12,419 miles (19,986 kilometers) away in Chiclayo, Peru.
• Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) currently has only 1 runway.

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.
• 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).
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.