Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SUM to THU:
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- About this route
- SUM Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about SUM
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to SUM
- List of Nearest Airports to SUM
- Map of Furthest Airports from SUM
- List of Furthest Airports from SUM
- 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 Sumter Airport (SUM), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,962 miles (or 4,767 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 Sumter 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 Sumter 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: | SUM / KSMS |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Sumter, South Carolina, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°59'41"N by 80°21'41"W |
Area Served: | Sumter, South Carolina |
Operator/Owner: | City & County of Sumter |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 182 feet (55 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SUM |
More Information: | SUM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
Airport Names: |
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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 Sumter Airport (SUM):
- The closest airport to Sumter Airport (SUM) is Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) WSW of SUM.
- In addition to being known as "Sumter Airport", another name for SUM is "SMS".
- Sumter Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles north of the central business district of Sumter, a city in Sumter County, South Carolina, United States.
- Because of Sumter Airport's relatively low elevation of 182 feet, planes can take off or land at Sumter 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.
- Sumter Airport (SUM) has 2 runways.
- Sumter Airport covers an area of 429 acres at an elevation of 182 feet above mean sea level.
- The furthest airport from Sumter Airport (SUM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,552 miles (18,590 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- The Pentagon maintained that all four weapons had been destroyed.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of 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.
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport, is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located 1,207 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
- 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.