Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Derby, Western Australia, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to DRB:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- DRB Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about DRB
- 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 DRB
- List of Nearest Airports to DRB
- Map of Furthest Airports from DRB
- List of Furthest Airports from DRB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Derby Airport (DRB), Derby, Western Australia, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,325 miles (or 13,398 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 Derby 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 Derby 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: | DRB / YDBY |
Airport Name: | Derby Airport |
Location: | Derby, Western Australia, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 17°22'12"S by 123°39'38"E |
Operator/Owner: | Shire of Derby/West Kimberley |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 24 feet (7 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from DRB |
More Information: | DRB Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- Thule is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 kilometres per hour was recorded on 8 March 1972 prior to the instrument's destruction.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- 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.
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- 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.
Facts about Derby Airport (DRB):
- The closest airport to Derby Airport (DRB) is Broome International Airport (BME), which is located 102 miles (165 kilometers) WSW of DRB.
- Derby Airport (DRB) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Derby Airport (DRB) is Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport (PTP), which is nearly antipodal to Derby Airport (meaning Derby Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport), and is located 12,085 miles (19,449 kilometers) away in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
- Because of Derby Airport's relatively low elevation of 24 feet, planes can take off or land at Derby 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.