Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to LWY:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- LWY Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about LWY
- 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 LWY
- List of Nearest Airports to LWY
- Map of Furthest Airports from LWY
- List of Furthest Airports from LWY
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Lawas Airport (LWY), Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,812 miles (or 10,962 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 Lawas 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 Lawas 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: | LWY / WBGW |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia |
GPS Coordinates: | 4°50'57"N by 115°24'10"E |
Area Served: | Lawas, Sarawak, East Malaysia |
Operator/Owner: | Government of Malaysia |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5 feet (2 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from LWY |
More Information: | LWY Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- 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.
- 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.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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 Lawas Airport (LWY):
- In addition to being known as "Lawas Airport", other names for LWY include "Lapangan Terbang Lawas" and "老越机场".
- The furthest airport from Lawas Airport (LWY) is Tefé Airport (TFF), which is nearly antipodal to Lawas Airport (meaning Lawas Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tefé Airport), and is located 12,335 miles (19,851 kilometers) away in Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil.
- Because of Lawas Airport's relatively low elevation of 5 feet, planes can take off or land at Lawas 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.
- Lawas Airport (LWY) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Lawas Airport (LWY) is Long Sukang Airport (LSU), which is located 21 miles (35 kilometers) SSE of LWY.