Nonstop flight route between Van, Turkey and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from VAN to THU:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- VAN Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about VAN
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to VAN
- List of Nearest Airports to VAN
- Map of Furthest Airports from VAN
- List of Furthest Airports from VAN
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN), Van, Turkey and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,976 miles (or 6,399 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 Van Ferit Melen Airport and Thule Air Base, 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 Van Ferit Melen Airport and Thule Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VAN / LTCI |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Van, Turkey |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°28'5"N by 43°19'55"E |
Area Served: | Van |
Operator/Owner: | Turkish Government Airport Management |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5480 feet (1,670 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VAN |
More Information: | VAN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
Airport Names: |
|
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 |
Facts about Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN):
- Because of Van Ferit Melen Airport's high elevation of 5,480 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at VAN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make VAN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- In addition to being known as "Van Ferit Melen Airport", another name for VAN is "Ferit Melen Havaalanı".
- Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,369 miles (18,296 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
- The closest airport to Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN) is Agri Airport (AJI), which is located 84 miles (134 kilometers) N of VAN.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- 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 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.