Nonstop flight route between Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from TFS to THU:
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- About this route
- TFS Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about TFS
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to TFS
- List of Nearest Airports to TFS
- Map of Furthest Airports from TFS
- List of Furthest Airports from TFS
- 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 Tenerife-South Airport (TFS), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,752 miles (or 6,039 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 Tenerife-South 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 Tenerife-South 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: | TFS / GCTS |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain |
| GPS Coordinates: | 28°2'39"N by 16°34'21"W |
| Area Served: | Tenerife |
| Operator/Owner: | Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 209 feet (64 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from TFS |
| More Information: | TFS 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 Tenerife-South Airport (TFS):
- In the late 1960s, the island authorities of Tenerife said they needed a new airport at a new location as the existing airport did not meet technical requirements due to adverse weather conditions.
- Because of Tenerife-South Airport's relatively low elevation of 209 feet, planes can take off or land at Tenerife-South 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.
- Tenerife-South Airport (TFS) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Tenerife-South Airport", other names for TFS include "Aeropuerto de Tenerife Sur" and "Tenerife Sur/Reina Sofía Airport".
- The furthest airport from Tenerife-South Airport (TFS) is Norfolk Island Airport (NLK), which is nearly antipodal to Tenerife-South Airport (meaning Tenerife-South Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Norfolk Island Airport), and is located 12,154 miles (19,561 kilometers) away in Norfolk Island, Australia.
- The closest airport to Tenerife-South Airport (TFS) is Tenerife North Airport (TFN), which is located 33 miles (54 kilometers) NNE of TFS.
- The airport is located in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona and was inaugurated on 6 November 1978, by Queen Sofía of Spain, to whom the airport is dedicated.
- The airport was opened by Queen Sofía on 6 November 1978.
- Tenerife-South Airport handled 8,701,983 passengers last year.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- 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.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- 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".
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
