Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Rodrigues Island, Mauritius:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), Rodrigues Island, Mauritius would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,181 miles (or 13,165 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 Sir Gaëtan Duval 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 Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• 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.
• 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.
• In the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
• 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.
• Thule Air Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl, Camp Century, Camp TUTO, Sites 1 and 2, P-Mountain, J-Site, North and South Mountains, and a research rocket firing site.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P.
• 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.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.

Facts about Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG):

• Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) is Ciudad Constitución Airport (CUA), which is located 11,950 miles (19,232 kilometers) away in Ciudad Constitución, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
• Because of Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport's relatively low elevation of 95 feet, planes can take off or land at Sir Gaëtan Duval 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 closest airport to Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) is Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), which is located 371 miles (598 kilometers) W of RRG.