Nonstop flight route between San Pedro Sula, Honduras and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP), San Pedro Sula, Honduras and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,562 miles (or 8,952 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 Ramón Villeda Morales International 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 Ramón Villeda Morales International 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 Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP):

• Because of Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport's relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Ramón Villeda Morales International 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 closest airport to Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) is Golosón International Airport (LCE), which is located 74 miles (119 kilometers) ENE of SAP.
• Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) currently has only 1 runway.
• A new terminal is expected to be completed by 2015, in line with the airport expansion program launched by InterAirports.
• The furthest airport from Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (meaning Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,046 miles (19,386 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 27 m above mean sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport", other names for SAP include "Aeropuerto Internacional Ramón Villeda Morales", "La Mesa International Airport" and "Aeropuerto de San Pedro Sula".
• Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport handled 742,000 passengers last year.
• Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Ramón Villeda Morales, also known as La Mesa International Airport, is located 11 km from the city of San Pedro Sula, in the Cortés Department in Honduras.

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

• 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.
• Major construction on the base initially included a new 3,000-metre runway with a width of 45 metres, as well as aprons and taxiways, a control tower, an Information Technology Wing building, on-base accommodation and major renovation of the four existing hangars.
• 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.
• Since that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
• The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• The Component operates seventeen Boeing E-3A AWACS aircraft all of which are based on the Boeing 707 airframe Trainer Cargo Aircraft but which have since been retired).
• The E-3A Component directly employs more than 3,000 personnel at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen and therefore has a significant economic impact in the surrounding communities.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• The fleet of E-3's has remained in operation since the Cold War and has adapted its mission to emerging security threats, primarily in European airspace.
• The E-3A Component is NATO's first­ operational flying unit with multinational manning.
• 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.