Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Georgetown, Cayman Islands:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to GCM:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- GCM Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about GCM
- 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 GCM
- List of Nearest Airports to GCM
- Map of Furthest Airports from GCM
- List of Furthest Airports from GCM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM), Georgetown, Cayman Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,980 miles (or 6,405 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 Owen Roberts International 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 Owen Roberts International 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: | GCM / MWCR |
| Airport Name: | Owen Roberts International Airport |
| Location: | Georgetown, Cayman Islands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 19°17'33"N by 81°21'33"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Cayman Islands Government |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 8 feet (2 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GCM |
| More Information: | GCM Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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 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".
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
Facts about Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM):
- The furthest airport from Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,931 miles (19,202 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Owen Roberts International Airport's relatively low elevation of 8 feet, planes can take off or land at Owen Roberts International 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.
- Additional renovations completed in 2012 include refurbishing the departure hall interior and livening up the passport control and customs hall with aquatic paintings and use of an aggressive digital advertising campaign in the baggage claim area.
- The closest airport to Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) is Edward Bodden Airfield - Little Cayman (LYB), which is located 87 miles (140 kilometers) ENE of GCM.
