Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Turpan, Xinjiang, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Turpan Jiaohe Airport (TLQ), Turpan, Xinjiang, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,118 miles (or 6,628 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 Turpan Jiaohe 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 Turpan Jiaohe 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.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather.
• 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 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 Turpan Jiaohe Airport (TLQ):

• In addition to being known as "Turpan Jiaohe Airport", other names for TLQ include "吐鲁番交河机场" and "Tǔlǔfān Jiāohé Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Turpan Jiaohe Airport (TLQ) is Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport (URC), which is located 102 miles (163 kilometers) NW of TLQ.
• The furthest airport from Turpan Jiaohe Airport (TLQ) is Gamboa Airport (WCA), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Castro, Chile.