Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Atar, Mauritania:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to ATR:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- ATR Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about ATR
- 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 ATR
- List of Nearest Airports to ATR
- Map of Furthest Airports from ATR
- List of Furthest Airports from ATR
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Atar Airport (ATR), Atar, Mauritania would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,309 miles (or 6,935 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 Atar Airport, 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 Atar Airport. 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: |
|
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: | ATR / GQPA |
Airport Name: | Atar Airport |
Location: | Atar, Mauritania |
GPS Coordinates: | 20°30'24"N by 13°2'35"W |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 758 feet (231 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from ATR |
More Information: | ATR Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- Thule Air Base is also home to the 821st Air Base Group and is responsible for air base support within the Thule Defense Area for the multinational population of "Team Thule." The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America.
- 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 AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
Facts about Atar Airport (ATR):
- The furthest airport from Atar Airport (ATR) is Maré Airport (MEE), which is nearly antipodal to Atar Airport (meaning Atar Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maré Airport), and is located 12,340 miles (19,859 kilometers) away in Maré, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia.
- Atar Airport (ATR) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Atar Airport's relatively low elevation of 758 feet, planes can take off or land at Atar 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.
- The closest airport to Atar Airport (ATR) is Akjoujt Airport (AJJ), which is located 102 miles (164 kilometers) WSW of ATR.