Nonstop flight route between Clayton, New Mexico, United States and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from CAO to DSM:
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- About this route
- CAO Airport Information
- DSM Airport Information
- Facts about CAO
- Facts about DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to CAO
- List of Nearest Airports to CAO
- Map of Furthest Airports from CAO
- List of Furthest Airports from CAO
- Map of Nearest Airports to DSM
- List of Nearest Airports to DSM
- Map of Furthest Airports from DSM
- List of Furthest Airports from DSM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Clayton Municipal Airpark (CAO), Clayton, New Mexico, United States and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 618 miles (or 995 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 Clayton Municipal Airpark and Des Moines International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CAO / KCAO |
Airport Name: | Clayton Municipal Airpark |
Location: | Clayton, New Mexico, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 36°26'47"N by 103°8'58"W |
Area Served: | Clayton, New Mexico |
Operator/Owner: | Town of Clayton |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 4970 feet (1,515 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from CAO |
More Information: | CAO Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | DSM / KDSM |
Airport Name: | Des Moines International Airport |
Location: | Des Moines, Iowa, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 41°32'2"N by 93°39'47"W |
Area Served: | Des Moines, Iowa |
Operator/Owner: | City of Des Moines |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 958 feet (292 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from DSM |
More Information: | DSM Maps & Info |
Facts about Clayton Municipal Airpark (CAO):
- Because of Clayton Municipal Airpark's high elevation of 4,970 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at CAO. Combined with a high temperature, this could make CAO a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- Clayton Municipal Airpark (CAO) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Clayton Municipal Airpark (CAO) is Dalhart Municipal Airport (DHT), which is located 45 miles (72 kilometers) SE of CAO.
- The furthest airport from Clayton Municipal Airpark (CAO) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,024 miles (17,741 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- On March 13, 2008, an Atlanta-bound ASA flight was delayed more than five hours when a mouse was discovered shortly before take-off from DSM.
- This airport is in in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which called it a primary commercial service airport.
- The closest airport to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of DSM.
- The furthest airport from Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,789 miles (17,363 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
- In 2011, the City of Des Moines transferred control from the city to the Des Moines Airport Authority.
- On December 1, 2007, a United Express plane carrying 44 passengers slid off a taxiway while taxiing to the runway for takeoff.
- Because of Des Moines International Airport's relatively low elevation of 958 feet, planes can take off or land at Des Moines International 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.