Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Georgetown, Cayman Islands:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to GCM:
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- 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: |
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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: | 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):
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- 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.
- 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 delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.
- In 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
Facts about Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM):
- Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 2007, the Cayman Islands Government announced plans to expand and upgrade the existing airport.
