Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Birao, Central African Republic:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to IRO:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- IRO Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about IRO
- 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 IRO
- List of Nearest Airports to IRO
- Map of Furthest Airports from IRO
- List of Furthest Airports from IRO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Birao Airport (IRO), Birao, Central African Republic would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,554 miles (or 8,938 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 Birao 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 Birao 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: | IRO / FEFI |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Birao, Central African Republic |
| GPS Coordinates: | 10°14'13"N by 22°42'58"E |
| Area Served: | Birao |
| Operator/Owner: | Government |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1522 feet (464 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from IRO |
| More Information: | IRO Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (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.
- 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression - this agreement faced Kaufmann with a charge of high treason.
- 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.
Facts about Birao Airport (IRO):
- In addition to being known as "Birao Airport", another name for IRO is "Birao Airport (Birao)".
- The closest airport to Birao Airport (IRO) is Gordil Airport (GDI), which is located 81 miles (130 kilometers) SW of IRO.
- The furthest airport from Birao Airport (IRO) is Manihiki Island Airport (MHX), which is nearly antipodal to Birao Airport (meaning Birao Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Manihiki Island Airport), and is located 12,184 miles (19,608 kilometers) away in Manihiki Island, Cook Islands.
- Birao Airport (IRO) currently has only 1 runway.
