Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Zhangye, Gansu, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Zhangye Ganzhou Airport (YZY), Zhangye, Gansu, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,454 miles (or 7,169 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 Zhangye Ganzhou 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 Zhangye Ganzhou 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 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
• A delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• 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 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 ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.

Facts about Zhangye Ganzhou Airport (YZY):

• In addition to being known as "Zhangye Ganzhou Airport", other names for YZY include "张掖甘州机场" and "Zhāngyè Gānzhōu Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Zhangye Ganzhou Airport (YZY) is Pichoy Airport (ZAL), which is nearly antipodal to Zhangye Ganzhou Airport (meaning Zhangye Ganzhou Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Pichoy Airport), and is located 12,098 miles (19,470 kilometers) away in Valdivia, Chile.
• The closest airport to Zhangye Ganzhou Airport (YZY) is Alxa Right Banner Badanjilin Airport (RHT), which is located 59 miles (95 kilometers) ENE of YZY.