Nonstop flight route between Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from KOI to THU:
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- About this route
- KOI Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about KOI
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to KOI
- List of Nearest Airports to KOI
- Map of Furthest Airports from KOI
- List of Furthest Airports from KOI
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Kirkwall Airport (KOI), Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,939 miles (or 3,120 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 relatively short distance between Kirkwall Airport and Thule Air Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KOI / EGPA |
Airport Name: | Kirkwall Airport |
Location: | Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 58°57'29"N by 2°54'2"W |
Area Served: | Mainland, Orkney |
Operator/Owner: | Highlands and Islands Airports Limited |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 58 feet (18 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from KOI |
More Information: | KOI Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Pituffik, Greenland |
GPS Coordinates: | 76°31'51"N by 68°42'11"W |
View all routes: | Routes from THU |
More Information: | THU Maps & Info |
Facts about Kirkwall Airport (KOI):
- Kirkwall Airport (KOI) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Kirkwall Airport (KOI) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,525 miles (18,548 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- Kirkwall Airport handled 145,897 passengers last year.
- Because of Kirkwall Airport's relatively low elevation of 58 feet, planes can take off or land at Kirkwall 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 closest airport to Kirkwall Airport (KOI) is Stronsay Airport (SOY), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) NE of KOI.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Thule Air Base is also home to the 821st Air Base Group and is responsible for air base support within the Thule Defense Area for the multinational population of "Team Thule." The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.