Nonstop flight route between Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from VNS to GKE:
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- About this route
- VNS Airport Information
- GKE Airport Information
- Facts about VNS
- Facts about GKE
- Map of Nearest Airports to VNS
- List of Nearest Airports to VNS
- Map of Furthest Airports from VNS
- List of Furthest Airports from VNS
- Map of Nearest Airports to GKE
- List of Nearest Airports to GKE
- Map of Furthest Airports from GKE
- List of Furthest Airports from GKE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,310 miles (or 6,937 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 Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component, 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 Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VNS / VIBN |
Airport Name: | Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport |
Location: | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
GPS Coordinates: | 25°27'7"N by 82°51'33"E |
Operator/Owner: | Airports Authority of India |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 266 feet (81 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VNS |
More Information: | VNS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GKE / ETNG |
Airport Name: | NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component |
Location: | Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°57'38"N by 6°2'33"E |
Operator/Owner: | NATO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 296 feet (90 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GKE |
More Information: | GKE Maps & Info |
Facts about Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS):
- Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) is Allahabad Airport (IXD), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) W of VNS.
- The airport was granted international status by the Union Cabinet on 4 October 2012.
- Because of Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport's relatively low elevation of 266 feet, planes can take off or land at Lal Bahadur Shastri 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.
- The furthest airport from Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,667 miles (18,777 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
- Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Airport is a public airport located at Babatpur 18 km northwest of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- Normally, only a certain number of the E-3As and TCAs are present at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen at any given time.
- Because of NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component's relatively low elevation of 296 feet, planes can take off or land at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component 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.
- The closest airport to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Merzbrück Airfield (AAH), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SSE of GKE.
- The fleet of E-3's has remained in operation since the Cold War and has adapted its mission to emerging security threats, primarily in European airspace.
- In January 1980 the first E-3A Component personnel started arriving at the base, and in October 1980 the NATO Defence Planning Committee granted the E-3A Component the status of a NATO International Military Headquarters.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The E-3A Component is NATO's first operational flying unit with multinational manning.
- The furthest airport from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,929 miles (19,198 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.