Nonstop flight route between Weihai, Shandong, China and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH), Weihai, Shandong, China and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,226 miles (or 8,411 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 Weihai Dashuibo 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 Weihai Dashuibo 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH):

• The closest airport to Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH) is Yantai Laishan International Airport (YNT), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) WNW of WEH.
• In addition to being known as "Weihai Dashuibo Airport", other names for WEH include "威海大水泊机场" and "Wēihǎi Dàshuǐbó Jīchǎng".
• The airport is located in Dashuibo Town, part of Wendeng City under the administration of Weihai.
• Weihai Dashuibo Airport handled 935,450 passengers last year.
• Because of Weihai Dashuibo Airport's relatively low elevation of 144 feet, planes can take off or land at Weihai Dashuibo 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 Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH) is Villa Gesell Airport (VLG), which is nearly antipodal to Weihai Dashuibo Airport (meaning Weihai Dashuibo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Villa Gesell Airport), and is located 12,396 miles (19,949 kilometers) away in Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):

• Following NATO’s decision to establish the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force program and to make the base near Teveren the Main Operating Base of the E­3A Component, a major construction program was started in 1980 to modify the operational and support facilities.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
• 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.
• Surrounded by farmland and a natural woodland reserve, the base was originally built by the Royal Air Force after World War II and operated as RAF Geilenkirchen from 1953 onwards.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.