Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and San Diego, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to SAN:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- SAN Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about SAN
- 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 SAN
- List of Nearest Airports to SAN
- Map of Furthest Airports from SAN
- List of Furthest Airports from SAN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Diego, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,387 miles (or 5,451 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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: |
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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: | SAN / KSAN |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | San Diego, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°44'0"N by 117°11'22"W |
Area Served: | Greater San Diego |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 17 feet (5 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SAN |
More Information: | SAN Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
- 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 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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 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 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
Facts about San Diego International Airport (SAN):
- In addition to being known as "San Diego International Airport", another name for SAN is "Lindbergh Field".
- British Airways resumed nonstop service to London Heathrow Airport on June 1, 2011 with Boeing 777-200ERs.
- The Army Air Corps took over the field in 1942, improving it to handle the heavy bombers being manufactured in the region.
- The original terminal was on the north side of the airport and was used until the 1960s.
- Because of San Diego International Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at San Diego 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 San Diego International Airport (SAN) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,540 miles (18,571 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The approach from the east is steeper than most due to terrain which drops from 266 ft to sea level in less than one nautical mile.
- San Diego International Airport (SAN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to San Diego International Airport (SAN) is NAS North Island (NZY), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of SAN.
- SAN is in a populated area.