Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Norfolk, Virginia (near Virginia Beach and Williamsburg), United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to ORF:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- ORF Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about ORF
- 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 ORF
- List of Nearest Airports to ORF
- Map of Furthest Airports from ORF
- List of Furthest Airports from ORF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Norfolk International Airport (ORF), Norfolk, Virginia (near Virginia Beach and Williamsburg), United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,748 miles (or 4,423 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 Norfolk International 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 Norfolk International 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: | ORF / KORF |
Airport Name: | Norfolk International Airport |
Location: | Norfolk, Virginia (near Virginia Beach and Williamsburg), United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 36°53'40"N by 76°12'3"W |
Area Served: | Norfolk, Virginia |
Operator/Owner: | City of Norfolk |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 27 feet (8 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ORF |
More Information: | ORF Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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 became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
- 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.
- 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 Norfolk International Airport (ORF):
- The closest airport to Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is Naval Station Norfolk (NGU), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) WNW of ORF.
- With World War II, Norfolk Municipal Airport became a vital resource to the war effort.
- Norfolk International Airport (ORF) has 2 runways.
- Because of Norfolk International Airport's relatively low elevation of 27 feet, planes can take off or land at Norfolk International 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.
- The furthest airport from Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,769 miles (18,940 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- General aviation services, or fixed based operations, are provided by Landmark Aviation with full-service facilities for maintaining and housing private and corporate aircraft.
- In the 1960s, the transition from propeller driven aircraft to jets gathered full steam.
- Changes continued throughout the 1990s as Norfolk International prepared for growth.