Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Aachen, Germany:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to AAH:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- AAH Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about AAH
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to AAH
- List of Nearest Airports to AAH
- Map of Furthest Airports from AAH
- List of Furthest Airports from AAH
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Merzbrück Airfield (AAH), Aachen, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,598 miles (or 4,181 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 Thule Air Base and Merzbrück Airfield, 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 Thule Air Base and Merzbrück Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | AAH / EDKA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Aachen, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°49'23"N by 6°11'11"E |
Area Served: | Aachen, Germany |
Operator/Owner: | Flugplatz Aachen-Merzbrück GmbH |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 623 feet (190 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from AAH |
More Information: | AAH Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
- Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather.
- 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 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 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- Thule Air Base is the U.S.
- 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.
Facts about Merzbrück Airfield (AAH):
- Because of Merzbrück Airfield's relatively low elevation of 623 feet, planes can take off or land at Merzbrück Airfield 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.
- The closest airport to Merzbrück Airfield (AAH) is NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) NNW of AAH.
- After the war, the airport was used by the British Forces Germany and later by the Belgian Forces in Germany.
- In addition to being known as "Merzbrück Airfield", another name for AAH is "Flugplatz Merzbrück".
- In January 1945, as a result of the Western Allied invasion of Germany, United States Army forces moved though the Aachen area and captured Merzbrück Airport about 29 January.
- Merzbrück Airfield (AAH) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Merzbrück Airfield (AAH) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,937 miles (19,210 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.