Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Fiti‘uta, American Samoa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Fitiuta Airport (FTI), Fiti‘uta, American Samoa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,345 miles (or 11,821 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 Fitiuta 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 Fitiuta 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):

• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• 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.
• 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.
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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.

Facts about Fitiuta Airport (FTI):

• The closest airport to Fitiuta Airport (FTI) is Tau Airport (TAV), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) W of FTI.
• The furthest airport from Fitiuta Airport (FTI) is Zinder Airport (ZND), which is nearly antipodal to Fitiuta Airport (meaning Fitiuta Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zinder Airport), and is located 12,326 miles (19,836 kilometers) away in Zinder, Niger.
• Fitiuta Airport is a public airport located in Fiti‘uta, a village on the island of Ta‘ū in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States.
• Fitiuta Airport (FTI) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Fitiuta Airport's relatively low elevation of 110 feet, planes can take off or land at Fitiuta 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 addition to being known as "Fitiuta Airport", another name for FTI is "FAQ".