Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Awaba, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Awaba Airport (AWB), Awaba, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,560 miles (or 12,166 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 Awaba 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 Awaba Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• Late 1950s the DEW 1 to 4 where build as "weather stations", Thule Air Base would act as an supply station for the DYE bases.
• 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".
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• 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.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.

Facts about Awaba Airport (AWB):

• The furthest airport from Awaba Airport (AWB) is Parnaíba–Prefeito Dr. João Silva Filho International Airport (PHB), which is located 11,622 miles (18,704 kilometers) away in Parnaiba, Piaui, Brazil.
• The closest airport to Awaba Airport (AWB) is Sasereme Airport (TDS), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) NNE of AWB.
• Because of Awaba Airport's relatively low elevation of 60 feet, planes can take off or land at Awaba 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.
• Awaba Airport (AWB) currently has only 1 runway.