Nonstop flight route between Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY), Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,088 miles (or 8,188 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 Nyingchi Mainling 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 Nyingchi Mainling 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY):

• Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Nyingchi Mainling Airport's high elevation of 9,675 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LZY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LZY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Known as one of the world's most difficult airports for aircraft to reach, Nyingchi Airport is situated in the valley of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Southeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, surrounded by over-4,000 metres -high mountains enveloped by clouds and fog throughout the year.
• The closest airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) is Along Airport (IXV), which is located 83 miles (133 kilometers) SSE of LZY.
• The furthest airport from Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is located 11,567 miles (18,616 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.
• The first landing of a commercial aircraft was made by an Air China Boeing 757 without passengers on July 12, 2006.
• Nyingchi Airport is the third airport that Tibet has put into operation.
• In addition to being known as "Nyingchi Mainling Airport", other names for LZY include "林芝米林机场" and "Línzhī Mǐlín Jīchǎng".

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• 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.
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• In 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.
• On 21 January 1968, a B-52G Stratofortress from the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York on a secret airborne nuclear alert crashed and burned on the ice near Thule Air Base.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".