Nonstop flight route between Chengdu, Sichuan, China and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from CTU to DSM:
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- About this route
- CTU Airport Information
- DSM Airport Information
- Facts about CTU
- Facts about DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to CTU
- List of Nearest Airports to CTU
- Map of Furthest Airports from CTU
- List of Furthest Airports from CTU
- 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 Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), Chengdu, Sichuan, China and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,329 miles (or 11,795 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 Chengdu Shuangliu International 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 Chengdu Shuangliu International 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: | CTU / ZUUU |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Chengdu, Sichuan, China |
GPS Coordinates: | 30°34'41"N by 103°56'48"E |
Area Served: | Chengdu |
Operator/Owner: | Sichuan Province Airport Group Co.,Ltd |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1624 feet (495 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from CTU |
More Information: | CTU 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 Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU):
- The closest airport to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) is Mianyang Nanjiao Airport (MIG), which is located 75 miles (121 kilometers) NE of CTU.
- The construction of its second runway started from late 2008 and has started service in December 2009.
- The airport, formerly named Shuangguisi Airport, opened in capacity as an auxiliary military airfield in 1938 during the second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.
- Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) has 2 runways.
- Terminal 2 under construction
- The furthest airport from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is nearly antipodal to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (meaning Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from La Florida Airport), and is located 12,144 miles (19,543 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.
- Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport handled 31,500,000 passengers last year.
- Outside of Terminal 2, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.
- In addition to being known as "Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport", other names for CTU include "成都双流国际机场" and "Chéngdū Shuāngliú Guójì Jīchǎng".
- On May 12, 2008 the airport was temporarily shut down after sustaining some minor damages from the great Sichuan Earthquake but was quickly reopened the following day after inspection of the runway.
- Flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are international flights.
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- On December 2, 1978, Douglas C-47A N41447 of SMB Stage Line crashed short of the runway while on a cargo flight from Chicago, Illinois.
- 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.
- 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.
- Des Moines International Airport covers 2,625 acres at an elevation of 958 feet above mean sea level.
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
- 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.
- In 2011, the City of Des Moines transferred control from the city to the Des Moines Airport Authority.