Nonstop flight route between Shijiazhuang, China and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (SJW), Shijiazhuang, China and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,916 miles (or 7,912 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 Shijiazhuang Zhengding 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 Shijiazhuang Zhengding 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 Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (SJW):

• Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (SJW) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (SJW) is Xingtai Dalian Airport (XNT), which is located 98 miles (157 kilometers) S of SJW.
• In addition to being known as "Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport", other names for SJW include "石家莊正定國際機場" and "Shíjiāzhuāng Zhèngdìng Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (SJW) is Santa Rosa Airport (RSA), which is nearly antipodal to Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (meaning Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Santa Rosa Airport), and is located 12,307 miles (19,807 kilometers) away in Santa Rosa, Argentina.
• Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport handled 4,021,167 passengers last year.
• Shijiazhuang Zhengding Airport airport was opened in 1995.
• Because of Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport's relatively low elevation of 233 feet, planes can take off or land at Shijiazhuang Zhengding 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.

Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (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.
• 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.
• The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The E-3A Component is NATO's first­ operational flying unit with multinational manning.
• 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.
• In January 1980 the first E-3A Component personnel started arriving at the base, and in October 1980 the NATO Defence Planning Committee granted the E-3A Component the status of a NATO International Military Headquarters.