Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Izumo, Shimane, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Izumo Airport (IZO), Izumo, Shimane, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,645 miles (or 7,476 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 Izumo 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 Izumo 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):

• In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
• In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
• 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Izumo Airport (IZO):

• The closest airport to Izumo Airport (IZO) is Miho-Yonago Airport (YGJ), which is located 20 miles (33 kilometers) ENE of IZO.
• Izumo Airport (IZO) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Izumo Airport (IZO) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is nearly antipodal to Izumo Airport (meaning Izumo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Rio Grande Regional Airport), and is located 12,066 miles (19,419 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
• Because of Izumo Airport's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at Izumo 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 addition to being known as "Izumo Airport", other names for IZO include "出雲空港" and "Izumo Kūkō".