Nonstop flight route between Calais / Dunkerque, France and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Calais–Dunkerque Airport (CQF), Calais / Dunkerque, France and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,286 miles (or 6,898 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 Calais–Dunkerque Airport and Des Moines International 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 Calais–Dunkerque Airport and Des Moines International 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 Calais–Dunkerque Airport (CQF):

• The furthest airport from Calais–Dunkerque Airport (CQF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,937 miles (19,211 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Calais–Dunkerque Airport (CQF) is Dunkerque – Les Moëres Airfield (XDK), which is located 27 miles (43 kilometers) ENE of CQF.
• In addition to being known as "Calais–Dunkerque Airport", another name for CQF is "Aéroport de Calais - Dunkerque".
• Calais–Dunkerque Airport (CQF) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Calais–Dunkerque Airport's relatively low elevation of 12 feet, planes can take off or land at Calais–Dunkerque 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.

Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):

• Des Moines International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles southwest of Des Moines, in Polk County, Iowa.
• The airport hosts the Des Moines Air National Guard Base and 132d Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard.
• 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.
• 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.
• As of March 2014, Delta Air Lines handled of DSM passengers, followed by United Airlines, American Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.
• During the 1920s the Des Moines area had several small private airports for general aviation and airmail.
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
• On December 18, 2010, a small red Beechcraft Bonanza crashed while performing an emergency landing at DSM.
• Interior renovation work began in 2009 on the airport and concluded in 2010.
• The Des Moines Terminal has 2 concourses.
• 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.