Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Macas, Ecuador:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport (XMS), Macas, Ecuador would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,459 miles (or 8,786 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 Col. Edmundo Carvajal 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 Col. Edmundo Carvajal 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• The Pentagon maintained that all four weapons had been destroyed.
• 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.
• 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 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.

Facts about Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport (XMS):

• Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport (XMS) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport", another name for XMS is "Aeropuerto "Coronel Edmundo Carvajal"".
• The furthest airport from Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport (XMS) is Melaka International Airport (MKZ), which is nearly antipodal to Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport (meaning Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Melaka International Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Batu Berendam, Malaysia.
• The closest airport to Col. Edmundo Carvajal Airport (XMS) is Rio Amazonas Airport (PTZ), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) N of XMS.