Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Center Island, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to CWS:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- CWS Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about CWS
- 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 CWS
- List of Nearest Airports to CWS
- Map of Furthest Airports from CWS
- List of Furthest Airports from CWS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Center Island Airport (CWS), Center Island, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,421 miles (or 3,897 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 relatively short distance between Thule Air Base and Center Island Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
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: | CWS / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Center Island, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 48°29'24"N by 122°49'54"W |
Operator/Owner: | Center Island Association |
Airport Type: | Private |
Elevation: | 115 feet (35 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from CWS |
More Information: | CWS Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
- 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 the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
Facts about Center Island Airport (CWS):
- In addition to being known as "Center Island Airport", another name for CWS is "78WA".
- Center Island Airport (CWS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Center Island Airport (CWS) is Fishermans Bay/LPS Seaplane Base (LPS), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) WNW of CWS.
- The furthest airport from Center Island Airport (CWS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,724 miles (17,259 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Because of Center Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 115 feet, planes can take off or land at Center Island 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.