Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Columbus, Nebraska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to OLU:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- OLU Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about OLU
- 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 OLU
- List of Nearest Airports to OLU
- Map of Furthest Airports from OLU
- List of Furthest Airports from OLU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU), Columbus, Nebraska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,567 miles (or 4,132 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 Columbus Municipal 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 Columbus Municipal 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: | OLU / KOLU |
Airport Name: | Columbus Municipal Airport |
Location: | Columbus, Nebraska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 41°26'53"N by 97°20'34"W |
Area Served: | Columbus, Nebraska |
Operator/Owner: | Columbus Airport Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1447 feet (441 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from OLU |
More Information: | OLU Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States 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.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport, is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located 1,207 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
Facts about Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU):
- The closest airport to Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) is Norfolk Regional Airport (OFK), which is located 37 miles (60 kilometers) N of OLU.
- Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,601 miles (17,060 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.