Nonstop flight route between Phoenix, Arizona, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,273 miles (or 5,267 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 Phoenix Sky Harbor 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 Phoenix Sky Harbor 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX):

• Phoenix has consistent winds, and Sky Harbor is one of the largest airports in the world to have all runways parallel.
• In 2012, the airport served 40,448,932 passengers, making it one of the top 10 busiest in the United States by passenger count.
• The furthest airport from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,450 miles (18,427 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• After the war the airport began work on a new passenger terminal, as well as a new parallel runway and a diagonal runway.
• America West filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991 and sold its larger aircraft and Japanese route authority, but continued growing its domestic operations from Terminal 4 in cooperation with Continental Airlines.
• Terminal 4, also designed by DWL Architects + Planners, Inc., opened in 1990 and has more than 90 gates, divided into seven satellite concourses connected behind security.
• The closest airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is Scottsdale Airport (SCF), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) NNE of PHX.
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) has 3 runways.

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.
• Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport, is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located 1,207 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland.
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• Late 1950s the DEW 1 to 4 where build as "weather stations", Thule Air Base would act as an supply station for the DYE bases.
• 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.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.