Nonstop flight route between Yushu County, Qinghai, China and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Yushu Batang Airport (YUS), Yushu County, Qinghai, China and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,855 miles (or 7,813 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 Yushu Batang 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 Yushu Batang 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Yushu Batang Airport (YUS):

• The furthest airport from Yushu Batang Airport (YUS) is Carriel Sur International Airport (CCP), which is located 11,813 miles (19,012 kilometers) away in Concepción, Bío Bío Region, Chile.
• The airport played an important role in the delivery of rescue personnel and relief supplies to the area affected by the 2010 Yushu earthquake.
• The construction of the airport started in 2007.
• The closest airport to Yushu Batang Airport (YUS) is Qamdo Bamda Airport (BPX), which is located 158 miles (254 kilometers) S of YUS.
• In addition to being known as "Yushu Batang Airport", other names for YUS include "玉树巴塘机场" and "Yùshù Batáng Jīchǎng".
• Because of Yushu Batang Airport's high elevation of 12,762 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at YUS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make YUS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
• 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.
• A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P.
• In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
• In the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• After liberation, Denmark ratified the Kauffmann treaty but began efforts to take over U.S.
• In 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.