Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Nissan Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Nissan Island Airport (IIS), Nissan Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,204 miles (or 11,593 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 Nissan Island 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 Nissan Island 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):

• 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 closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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.
• Thule Air Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl, Camp Century, Camp TUTO, Sites 1 and 2, P-Mountain, J-Site, North and South Mountains, and a research rocket firing site.
• In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States 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.

Facts about Nissan Island Airport (IIS):

• The New Zealand 3rd Division landed on Nissan Island on 15 February 1944 as part of the Solomon Islands campaign.
• The closest airport to Nissan Island Airport (IIS) is Buka Island Airport (BUA), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) SSE of IIS.
• No known scheduled services.
• In addition to being known as "Nissan Island Airport", other names for IIS include "AYIA" and "Nissan Island".
• The furthest airport from Nissan Island Airport (IIS) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,714 miles (18,852 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• Nissan Island Airport (IIS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Nissan Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 100 feet, planes can take off or land at Nissan Island 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 late 1944 airfield roll-up activities were commenced and were completed by August 1945.