Nonstop flight route between Cooktown, Queensland, Australia and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from CTN to DSM:
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- About this route
- CTN Airport Information
- DSM Airport Information
- Facts about CTN
- Facts about DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to CTN
- List of Nearest Airports to CTN
- Map of Furthest Airports from CTN
- List of Furthest Airports from CTN
- 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 Cooktown Airport (CTN), Cooktown, Queensland, Australia and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,523 miles (or 13,717 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 Cooktown 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 Cooktown 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CTN / YCKN |
Airport Name: | Cooktown Airport |
Location: | Cooktown, Queensland, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 15°26'40"S by 145°11'3"E |
Area Served: | Cooktown, Queensland, Australia |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 26 feet (8 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from CTN |
More Information: | CTN 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 Cooktown Airport (CTN):
- The closest airport to Cooktown Airport (CTN) is Lizard Island Airport (LZR), which is located 56 miles (91 kilometers) NNE of CTN.
- Because of Cooktown Airport's relatively low elevation of 26 feet, planes can take off or land at Cooktown 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 furthest airport from Cooktown Airport (CTN) is Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE), which is located 11,782 miles (18,961 kilometers) away in São Vicente, Cape Verde.
- Cooktown Airport (CTN) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- The Des Moines Terminal has 2 concourses.
- Des Moines International Airport covers 2,625 acres at an elevation of 958 feet above mean sea level.
- Des Moines International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles southwest of Des Moines, in Polk County, Iowa.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.