Nonstop flight route between Santa Ana, California, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SNA to THU:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- SNA Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about SNA
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to SNA
- List of Nearest Airports to SNA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SNA
- List of Furthest Airports from SNA
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,333 miles (or 5,364 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 John Wayne Airport and Thule Air Base, 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 John Wayne Airport and Thule Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SNA / KSNA |
Airport Name: | John Wayne Airport |
Location: | Santa Ana, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°40'32"N by 117°52'5"W |
Area Served: | Orange County, California |
Operator/Owner: | Orange County |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 56 feet (17 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SNA |
More Information: | SNA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Pituffik, Greenland |
GPS Coordinates: | 76°31'51"N by 68°42'11"W |
View all routes: | Routes from THU |
More Information: | THU Maps & Info |
Facts about John Wayne Airport (SNA):
- The closest airport to John Wayne Airport (SNA) is MCAS El Toro (NZJ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) E of SNA.
- In 2011, additional terminal space was added and existing terminals were refreshed as part of a $543 million expansion project.
- The main runway, at 5,701 feet, is the shortest of any major airport in the United States, and passenger airliners at the airport have never been larger than the Boeing 757.
- Because of John Wayne Airport's relatively low elevation of 56 feet, planes can take off or land at John Wayne 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.
- At some point between 1940 and 1945, the Santa Ana Army Airfield was established on land adjacent to Martin Field, to the south.
- Alaska Airlines provided international service to Vancouver in 2002 however shortly after launch a stop in Seattle was required as John Wayne Airport was not authorized for pre-clearance or international flights by U.S.
- John Wayne Airport (SNA) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from John Wayne Airport (SNA) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,490 miles (18,491 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- In 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- Thule Air Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl, Camp Century, Camp TUTO, Sites 1 and 2, P-Mountain, J-Site, North and South Mountains, and a research rocket firing site.