Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Sabah, Malaysia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to SMM:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- SMM Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about SMM
- 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 SMM
- List of Nearest Airports to SMM
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMM
- List of Furthest Airports from SMM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Semporna Airport (SMM), Sabah, Malaysia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,834 miles (or 10,998 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 Semporna 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 Semporna 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: | SMM / WBKA |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Sabah, Malaysia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 4°26'58"N by 118°35'47"E |
| Area Served: | Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia |
| Operator/Owner: | Malaysia Airports Berhad |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 60 feet (18 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMM |
| More Information: | SMM Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Semporna Airport (SMM):
- The closest airport to Semporna Airport (SMM) is Tawau Airport (TWU), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) WSW of SMM.
- In addition to being known as "Semporna Airport", another name for SMM is "Lapangan Terbang Semporna".
- The furthest airport from Semporna Airport (SMM) is Coari Airport (CIZ), which is nearly antipodal to Semporna Airport (meaning Semporna Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Coari Airport), and is located 12,316 miles (19,820 kilometers) away in Coari, Amazonas, Brazil.
- Semporna Airport (SMM) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Semporna Airport's relatively low elevation of 60 feet, planes can take off or land at Semporna 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.
