Nonstop flight route between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RUH to THU:
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- About this route
- RUH Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about RUH
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to RUH
- List of Nearest Airports to RUH
- Map of Furthest Airports from RUH
- List of Furthest Airports from RUH
- 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 King Khalid International Airport (RUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,930 miles (or 7,934 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 King Khalid 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 King Khalid 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: | RUH / OERK |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
GPS Coordinates: | 24°57'28"N by 46°41'56"E |
Area Served: | Riyadh |
Operator/Owner: | The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 2049 feet (625 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from RUH |
More Information: | RUH 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 King Khalid International Airport (RUH):
- In addition, during the 1990–1991 Gulf War, the airport was the home to 205 General Evacuation Hospital RAMC of the British Army, who were accommodated at the nearby Singles Compound.
- The furthest airport from King Khalid International Airport (RUH) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is nearly antipodal to King Khalid International Airport (meaning King Khalid International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Totegegie Airport), and is located 12,273 miles (19,752 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
- King Khalid International Airport (RUH) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to King Khalid International Airport (RUH) is Dawadmi Domestic Airport (DWD), which is located 166 miles (266 kilometers) WSW of RUH.
- In addition to being known as "King Khalid International Airport", another name for RUH is "مطار الملك خالد الدولي".
- King Khalid International Airport handled 13,919,000 passengers last year.
- In the northeast corner of the mosque plaza, a minaret rises 39 metres above the plaza level.
- Centrally located in the passenger terminal complex, between the Royal Pavilion and the mosque is the air traffic control tower standing at 81 metres high.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
- 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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 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.
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.