Nonstop flight route between Galena, Alaska, United States and Bardufoss, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL), Galena, Alaska, United States and Bardufoss Airport (BDU), Bardufoss, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,190 miles (or 5,134 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport and Bardufoss Airport, 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport and Bardufoss Airport. 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 Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL):

• The closest airport to Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is Koyukuk Airport (KYU), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) WNW of GAL.
• As Galena Airport, it was used as a military transport base during World War II, facilitating the transit of Lend-Lease aircraft to the Soviet Union.
• Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) has 2 runways.
• The airport also sports a ski-jump takeoff ramp at one end and provisions for arresting gear at the other, a leftover from the Cold War years as Galena Air Force Base, as tactical aircraft required more landing and takeoff space than was available on the runway.
• The furthest airport from Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport (GAL) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,313 miles (16,598 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
• Because of Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport's relatively low elevation of 153 feet, planes can take off or land at Edward G. Pitka Sr. 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.
• In addition to being known as "Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport", another name for GAL is "(former Galena Air Force Base)".
• As Galena Air Force Base, it was used by the USAF during the Cold War as an interceptor base for aircraft patrolling the western areas of Alaska.

Facts about Bardufoss Airport (BDU):

• The closest airport to Bardufoss Airport (BDU) is Tromsø Airport, Langnes (TOS), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NNE of BDU.
• Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347, SAS-operated McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route to Bodø Airport and Oslo Airport, Fornebu, was hijacking by Haris Keč on 3 November 1994.
• In addition to being known as "Bardufoss Airport", another name for BDU is "Bardufoss lufthavn".
• The furthest airport from Bardufoss Airport (BDU) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,613 miles (17,079 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Bardufoss Airport handled 207,650 passengers last year.
• The Norwegian Aviation College college was established at Bardufoss Airport in 1992 as the world's northern-most flight school.
• Because of Bardufoss Airport's relatively low elevation of 252 feet, planes can take off or land at Bardufoss 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 Norwegian Army Air Service completed the air station in 1938 and expanded by them and later the Luftwaffe during World War II.