Nonstop flight route between Narsarsuaq, Greenland and Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK), Narsarsuaq, Greenland and Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,864 miles (or 4,609 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 Narsarsuaq Airport and Ladd Army Airfield, 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 Narsarsuaq Airport and Ladd Army Airfield. 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 Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK):

• In addition to being known as "Narsarsuaq Airport", other names for UAK include "Mittarfik Narsarsuaq" and "Narsarsuaq Lufthavn".
• Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The new route was closed before the first flights could commence, adding to resentment amongst businesses and the community of South Greenland.
• On 21 September 1977, Douglas C-47 N723A of NJ Airlines crashed at Narsarsuaq Airport.
• The furthest airport from Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 11,062 miles (17,803 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
• In the 1960s and 1970s Greenlandair and SAS were operating with Douglas DC-6s and Icelandair with Boeing 727s in Greenland, and in the 80's SAS was using DC-8s at Narsarsuaq.
• A military hospital with 250 beds was completed in 1943.
• Narsarsuaq Airport handled 26,284 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK) is Igaliku Heliport (QFX), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) S of UAK.
• Because of Narsarsuaq Airport's relatively low elevation of 112 feet, planes can take off or land at Narsarsuaq 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.

Facts about Ladd Army Airfield (FBK):

• The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
• Weather and Testing Units
• Ice fog became a problem for airplanes landing at the field.
• The airplanes arrived at Ladd were stripped of all but basic instrumentation and armament.
• Ladd was not exclusively an Air Force site.
• The furthest airport from Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,286 miles (16,554 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Because of Ladd Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 454 feet, planes can take off or land at Ladd Army Airfield 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.
• Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Ladd Army Airfield", another name for FBK is "(Ladd Air Force Base)".
• Alaska's transportation infrastructure at the time was so limited and the problem of military supply so acute, it also made sense to concentrate the bases along existing supply lines near Anchorage and Fairbanks.