Nonstop flight route between Meekatharra, Western Australia, Australia and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from MKR to THU:
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- About this route
- MKR Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about MKR
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to MKR
- List of Nearest Airports to MKR
- Map of Furthest Airports from MKR
- List of Furthest Airports from MKR
- 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 Meekatharra Airport (MKR), Meekatharra, Western Australia, Australia and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,979 miles (or 14,450 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 Meekatharra 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 Meekatharra 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: | MKR / YMEK |
| Airport Name: | Meekatharra Airport |
| Location: | Meekatharra, Western Australia, Australia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 26°36'42"S by 118°32'52"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Shire of Meekatharra |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1713 feet (522 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MKR |
| More Information: | MKR 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 Meekatharra Airport (MKR):
- The closest airport to Meekatharra Airport (MKR) is Cue Airport (CUY), which is located 69 miles (112 kilometers) SSW of MKR.
- Meekatharra Airport (MKR) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Meekatharra Airport (MKR) is L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA), which is located 11,995 miles (19,303 kilometers) away in Ferry Reach (near Hamilton), Bermuda.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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 Air Base is also home to the 821st Air Base Group and is responsible for air base support within the Thule Defense Area for the multinational population of "Team Thule." The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- 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.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
