Nonstop flight route between Saba, Caribbean Netherlands and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB), Saba, Caribbean Netherlands and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,380 miles (or 7,048 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component, 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component. 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB):

• Because of Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport's relatively low elevation of 60 feet, planes can take off or land at Juancho E. Yrausquin 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.
• The furthest airport from Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) is Karratha Airport (KTA), which is nearly antipodal to Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (meaning Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Karratha Airport), and is located 12,225 miles (19,674 kilometers) away in Karratha / Dampier, Western Australia, Australia.
• The only airline currently serving Yrausquin Airport is locally owned Winair, which operates daily flights to Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius aboard a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
• Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) currently has only 1 runway.
• Jet aircraft are unable to land at the airport, because the runway is too short.
• The closest airport to Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) is F.D. Roosevelt Airport (EUX), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) ESE of SAB.

Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):

• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• Surrounded by farmland and a natural woodland reserve, the base was originally built by the Royal Air Force after World War II and operated as RAF Geilenkirchen from 1953 onwards.
• Following NATO’s decision to establish the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force program and to make the base near Teveren the Main Operating Base of the E­3A Component, a major construction program was started in 1980 to modify the operational and support facilities.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• An Economic Impact Study compiled by the NATO E-3A Component shows a 2008 economic impact of 275.8 million euro within a 200-kilometer radius of the base.
• Since that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
• The furthest airport from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,929 miles (19,198 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Merzbrück Airfield (AAH), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SSE of GKE.
• Because of NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component's relatively low elevation of 296 feet, planes can take off or land at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component 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.