Nonstop flight route between Wilmington, North Carolina, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from ILM to THU:
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- About this route
- ILM Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about ILM
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to ILM
- List of Nearest Airports to ILM
- Map of Furthest Airports from ILM
- List of Furthest Airports from ILM
- 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 Wilmington International Airport (ILM), Wilmington, North Carolina, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,934 miles (or 4,723 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 Wilmington International 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 Wilmington International 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: | ILM / KILM |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Wilmington, North Carolina, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 34°16'14"N by 77°54'9"W |
| Area Served: | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Operator/Owner: | New Hanover County, North Carolina |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 32 feet (10 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ILM |
| More Information: | ILM 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 Wilmington International Airport (ILM):
- When the contamination of the site was discovered, about 500 people live within a mile of the Site.
- Because of Wilmington International Airport's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Wilmington 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.
- Piedmont Airlines began commercial flights to Wilmington in February 1948, and used Wilmington as one of its initial crew bases.
- ILM was one of four airports along the East Coast which served as an emergency abort landing site for the Space Shuttle.
- In addition to being known as "Wilmington International Airport", another name for ILM is "New Hanover County International Airport".
- A 1,500-square-foot burn pit on the airport property was named a Superfund site on March 31, 1989.
- The closest airport to Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), which is located 42 miles (68 kilometers) NNE of ILM.
- In addition to flights to its main regional hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, US Airways introduced three daily flights between Wilmington and La Guardia Airport in New York City during the 2000s following lobbying from the Wilmington community.
- Wilmington International Airport (ILM) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,693 miles (18,818 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- Thule is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 kilometres per hour was recorded on 8 March 1972 prior to the instrument's destruction.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- 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.
