Nonstop flight route between Alamosa, Colorado, United States and Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from ALS to DCA:
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- About this route
- ALS Airport Information
- DCA Airport Information
- Facts about ALS
- Facts about DCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to ALS
- List of Nearest Airports to ALS
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- List of Furthest Airports from ALS
- Map of Nearest Airports to DCA
- List of Nearest Airports to DCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from DCA
- List of Furthest Airports from DCA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between San Luis Valley Regional Airport (ALS), Alamosa, Colorado, United States and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,563 miles (or 2,516 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 San Luis Valley Regional Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ALS / KALS |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Alamosa, Colorado, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°26'6"N by 105°51'59"W |
| Area Served: | Alamosa, Colorado |
| Operator/Owner: | City and County of Alamosa |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 7539 feet (2,298 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ALS |
| More Information: | ALS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | DCA / KDCA |
| Airport Name: | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport |
| Location: | Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 38°51'7"N by 77°2'16"W |
| Area Served: | Washington Metropolitan Area |
| Operator/Owner: | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 15 feet (5 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from DCA |
| More Information: | DCA Maps & Info |
Facts about San Luis Valley Regional Airport (ALS):
- Because of San Luis Valley Regional Airport's high elevation of 7,539 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at ALS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make ALS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- In addition to being known as "San Luis Valley Regional Airport", another name for ALS is "Bergman Field".
- The furthest airport from San Luis Valley Regional Airport (ALS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,054 miles (17,790 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The closest airport to San Luis Valley Regional Airport (ALS) is Stevens Field (FAA: PSO) (PGO), which is located 66 miles (106 kilometers) W of ALS.
- Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 7,161 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 6,279 in 2009 and 6,737 in 2010.
- San Luis Valley Regional Airport (ALS) has 2 runways.
Facts about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):
- The airport is southwest of Washington, D.C.
- When visibility and ceiling are below minimums for the River Visual and southerly winds restrict northbound runway operations, aircraft fly an offset localizer or GPS approach to Runway 19, again involving a final turn moments before touchdown, or they fly a VOR or GPS approach to either of the shorter Runways 15 and 22, which are marginally long enough for airline jets.
- Because of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Ronald Reagan Washington National 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 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is Bolling Air Force Base (BOF), which is located only 1 miles (2 kilometers) ESE of DCA.
- On February 6, 1998 President Bill Clinton signed legislation changing the airport's name from Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, to honor the former president on his 87th birthday.
- Other than 40 slot exemptions, flights into and out of DCA are not allowed to exceed 1,250 statute miles in any direction nonstop, in an effort to send air traffic to the larger but more distant Washington Dulles International Airport.
- After the attacks, the airport was closed for several weeks, and security was tightened when it reopened.
- The furthest airport from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,682 miles (18,800 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has 3 runways.
- Terminal A opened in 1941 and was expanded in 1955 to accommodate more passengers and airlines.
