Nonstop flight route between Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) (SFJ), Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ), Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,949 miles (or 16,012 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 Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) and Kapiti Coast Airport, 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 Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) and Kapiti Coast Airport. 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 Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) (SFJ):

• Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) (SFJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ)", other names for SFJ include "Mittarfik Kangerlussuaq" and "Kangerlussuaq Lufthavn".
• The closest airport to Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) (SFJ) is Sisimiut Airport (JHS), which is located 82 miles (132 kilometers) W of SFJ.
• Because of Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ)'s relatively low elevation of 165 feet, planes can take off or land at Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) 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 terminal is open for 24 hours during summer.
• The airport was handed over to civilian Greenlandic control in 1992.
• Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) handled 133,381 passengers last year.
• An airport was first built here by the US military in 1941, under the name Bluie West-8, later renamed Sondrestromfjord Air Base and Sondrestrom Air Base.
• The furthest airport from Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ) (SFJ) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 10,633 miles (17,112 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Facts about Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ):

• The furthest airport from Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM), which is nearly antipodal to Kapiti Coast Airport (meaning Kapiti Coast Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salamanca-Matacán Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Salamanca, Spain.
• Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing flightpaths.
• On 24 October 2011, Air Nelson, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand, commenced flights between Auckland and Paraparaumu.
• The closest airport to Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Wellington International Airport (WLG), which is located 31 miles (49 kilometers) SSW of PPQ.
• The Kapiti Aero Club is based at the airport, along with other private fliers and charter businesses.
• On 17 February 2008, above an adjacent hardware store, Placemakers, there was a triple-fatality mid-air collision between a Cessna 152 and a helicopter, both of which plummeted from approximately 1500 ft, the helicopter into the store and the plane into a nearby street.
• As recently as 1992, alternate sites for a new airport for Wellington were investigated, including Paraparaumu, but a decision was made to upgrade Wellington Airport's existing site.
• Because of Kapiti Coast Airport's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Kapiti Coast 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.
• Re-development proposals involve closing 11/29, with a parallel grass runway as the only crosswind runway.
• Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) has 3 runways.