Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Biak, Indonesia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to BIK:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- BIK Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about BIK
- 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 BIK
- List of Nearest Airports to BIK
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIK
- List of Furthest Airports from BIK
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Frans Kaisiepo Airport (BIK), Biak, Indonesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,144 miles (or 11,496 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 Frans Kaisiepo 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 Frans Kaisiepo 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: | BIK / WABB |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Biak, Indonesia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 1°11'23"S by 136°6'26"E |
| Operator/Owner: | PT Angkasa Pura I |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 46 feet (14 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BIK |
| More Information: | BIK Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- On 21 January 1968, a B-52G Stratofortress from the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York on a secret airborne nuclear alert crashed and burned on the ice near Thule Air Base.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression - this agreement faced Kaufmann with a charge of high treason.
- 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.
Facts about Frans Kaisiepo Airport (BIK):
- The furthest airport from Frans Kaisiepo Airport (BIK) is Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport (Tirirical) (SLZ), which is nearly antipodal to Frans Kaisiepo Airport (meaning Frans Kaisiepo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport (Tirirical)), and is located 12,175 miles (19,593 kilometers) away in São Luís, Brazil.
- As World War II started in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan started occupying Irian Jaya in 1942.
- The government of Netherlands soon took over the airfield.
- Because of Frans Kaisiepo Airport's relatively low elevation of 46 feet, planes can take off or land at Frans Kaisiepo 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.
- In 1990,the Airport's management and operation was handed over to Angkasa Pura I.
- The closest airport to Frans Kaisiepo Airport (BIK) is Kornasoren Airport (FOO), which is located 87 miles (140 kilometers) WNW of BIK.
- Frans Kaisiepo Airport (BIK) currently has only 1 runway.
- The Battle of Biak Island came about after a succession of Japanese defeats in 1943 and 1944 along the northern coast of New Guinea.
- In addition to being known as "Frans Kaisiepo Airport", another name for BIK is "Bandara Frans Kaisiepo".
- Frans Kaisiepo Airport handled 366 passengers last year.
- Japan then attempted to build a second military airfield in Samao county.
