Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Jakar, Bumthang, Bhutan:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to BUT:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- BUT Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about BUT
- 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 BUT
- List of Nearest Airports to BUT
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUT
- List of Furthest Airports from BUT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Bathpalathang Airport (BUT), Jakar, Bumthang, Bhutan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,191 miles (or 8,354 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 Bathpalathang 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 Bathpalathang 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: | BUT / VQBT |
Airport Name: | Bathpalathang Airport |
Location: | Jakar, Bumthang, Bhutan |
GPS Coordinates: | 27°33'46"N by 90°44'47"E |
Area Served: | Jakar, Bhutan |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 8858 feet (2,700 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUT |
More Information: | BUT Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- 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 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.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States 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.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
Facts about Bathpalathang Airport (BUT):
- Because of Bathpalathang Airport's high elevation of 8,858 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at BUT. Combined with a high temperature, this could make BUT a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The closest airport to Bathpalathang Airport (BUT) is Paro International Airport (PBH), which is located 82 miles (132 kilometers) W of BUT.
- Airport construction at Bathpalathang met several delays, including soil instability under the runway, funding, labor and material shortages, and nearby river protection and diversion, each of which underpinned the ultimate success of any airport at the site.
- Bathpalathang Airport (BUT) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Bathpalathang Airport (BUT) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is located 11,332 miles (18,237 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.