Nonstop flight route between Shishmaref, Alaska, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shishmaref Airport (SHH), Shishmaref, Alaska, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,975 miles (or 3,179 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 relatively short distance between Shishmaref Airport and Thule Air Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Shishmaref Airport (SHH):

• The furthest airport from Shishmaref Airport (SHH) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,355 miles (16,664 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• Shishmaref Airport (SHH) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Shishmaref Airport (SHH) is Brevig Mission Airport (KTS), which is located 64 miles (104 kilometers) S of SHH.
• Because of Shishmaref Airport's relatively low elevation of 12 feet, planes can take off or land at Shishmaref 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.

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• 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.
• In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• A delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• 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.