Nonstop flight route between Wuxi/Suzhou, Jiangsu, China and Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX), Wuxi/Suzhou, Jiangsu, China and NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,486 miles (or 8,828 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 Sunan Shuofang International 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 Sunan Shuofang International 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 Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX):

• Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Sunan Shuofang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Sunan Shuofang International 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 Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX) is General Justo José de Urquiza Airport (PRA), which is nearly antipodal to Sunan Shuofang International Airport (meaning Sunan Shuofang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from General Justo José de Urquiza Airport), and is located 12,379 miles (19,923 kilometers) away in Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina.
• The closest airport to Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX) is Suzhou Guangfu Airport (SZV), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) S of WUX.
• Sunan Shuofang International Airport handled 2,535,227 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Sunan Shuofang International Airport", other names for WUX include "苏南硕放国际机场" and "Sūnán Shuòfàng Guójì Jīchǎng".

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

• 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.
• 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.
• Since that time, most of the buildings on base have been renovated to present day standards and several new buildings have been erected.
• Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
• 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 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 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.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
• E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E­3A aircraft.