Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to GTE:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- GTE Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about GTE
- 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 GTE
- List of Nearest Airports to GTE
- Map of Furthest Airports from GTE
- List of Furthest Airports from GTE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE), Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,019 miles (or 12,906 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 Groote Eylandt 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 Groote Eylandt 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: | GTE / YGTE |
Airport Name: | Groote Eylandt Airport |
Location: | Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 13°58'29"S by 136°27'36"E |
Area Served: | Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia |
Operator/Owner: | Groote Eylandt Mining Co. |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 53 feet (16 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GTE |
More Information: | GTE Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Late 1950s the DEW 1 to 4 where build as "weather stations", Thule Air Base would act as an supply station for the DYE bases.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
- On 21 January 1968, a B-52G Stratofortress from the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York on a secret airborne nuclear alert crashed and burned on the ice near Thule Air Base.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- 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 Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE):
- The furthest airport from Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE) is Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport (CAY), which is located 11,564 miles (18,611 kilometers) away in Cayenne, French Guiana.
- Because of Groote Eylandt Airport's relatively low elevation of 53 feet, planes can take off or land at Groote Eylandt 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.
- Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE) is Lake Evella Airport (LEL), which is located 111 miles (179 kilometers) NNW of GTE.