Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to MRI:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- MRI Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about MRI
- 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 MRI
- List of Nearest Airports to MRI
- Map of Furthest Airports from MRI
- List of Furthest Airports from MRI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,044 miles (or 3,290 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 relatively short distance between Thule Air Base and Merrill Field, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
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: | MRI / PAMR |
| Airport Name: | Merrill Field |
| Location: | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 61°12'48"N by 149°50'39"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Municipality of Anchorage |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 137 feet (42 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MRI |
| More Information: | MRI Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P.
- 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.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Merrill Field (MRI):
- Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.
- The furthest airport from Merrill Field (MRI) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,545 miles (16,970 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- For 12-month period ending August 5, 2004, the airport had 191,550 aircraft operations, an average of 524 per day, 100% of which were general aviation.
- The closest airport to Merrill Field (MRI) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) NNE of MRI.
- Merrill Field is a public-use general aviation airport located one mile east of downtown Anchorage in the U.S.
- Merrill Field is home to the University of Alaska Anchorage's Aviation Technology Division, as well as two locally-owned flight schools, air taxi services, and fixed base operators.
- Because of Merrill Field's relatively low elevation of 137 feet, planes can take off or land at Merrill Field 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.
