Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Portland, Maine, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to PWM:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- PWM Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about PWM
- 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 PWM
- List of Nearest Airports to PWM
- Map of Furthest Airports from PWM
- List of Furthest Airports from PWM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Portland International Jetport (PWM), Portland, Maine, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,273 miles (or 3,657 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 Portland International Jetport, 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: | PWM / KPWM |
| Airport Name: | Portland International Jetport |
| Location: | Portland, Maine, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 43°38'45"N by 70°18'33"W |
| Area Served: | Portland, Maine |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 76 feet (23 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from PWM |
| More Information: | PWM Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- 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.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
Facts about Portland International Jetport (PWM):
- Portland International Jetport (PWM) has 2 runways.
- Boston-Maine Airways had a monopoly on passenger air travel at Portland, which continued after the airline was renamed Northeast Airlines.
- The furthest airport from Portland International Jetport (PWM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,705 miles (18,838 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- 1986 also brought US Airways, who began flights to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
- That year regional Air New England began service in Portland, competing with Northeast Airlines intrastate and between Portland and Boston.
- Because of Portland International Jetport's relatively low elevation of 76 feet, planes can take off or land at Portland International Jetport 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.
- After Independence Air went bankrupt Portland had no low-cost carrier, causing fares to go up, and passenger numbers to decline.
- The closest airport to Portland International Jetport (PWM) is Naval Air Station Brunswick (NHZ), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NE of PWM.
- Portland International Jetport is a public airport two miles west of downtown Portland, in Cumberland County, Maine.
