Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Katima Mulilo, Namibia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to MPA:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- MPA Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about MPA
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to MPA
- List of Nearest Airports to MPA
- Map of Furthest Airports from MPA
- List of Furthest Airports from MPA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA), Katima Mulilo, Namibia would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,449 miles (or 11,987 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 Thule Air Base and Katima Mulilo 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 Thule Air Base and Katima Mulilo Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MPA / FYKM |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Katima Mulilo, Namibia |
GPS Coordinates: | 17°38'3"S by 24°10'35"E |
Area Served: | Katima Mulilo, Namibia |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 3144 feet (958 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MPA |
More Information: | MPA Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- Thule is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 kilometres per hour was recorded on 8 March 1972 prior to the instrument's destruction.
- Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from 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.
- Thule Air Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl, Camp Century, Camp TUTO, Sites 1 and 2, P-Mountain, J-Site, North and South Mountains, and a research rocket firing site.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
Facts about Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA):
- Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Katima Mulilo Airport", another name for MPA is "Mpacha Airport".
- The furthest airport from Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) is Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA), which is nearly antipodal to Katima Mulilo Airport (meaning Katima Mulilo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kona International Airport at Keāhole), and is located 12,291 miles (19,780 kilometers) away in Kailua / Kona, Hawaii, United States.
- The closest airport to Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) is Kasane Airport (BBK), which is located 66 miles (107 kilometers) ESE of MPA.