Nonstop flight route between Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DCA to YOW:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- DCA Airport Information
- YOW Airport Information
- Facts about DCA
- Facts about YOW
- Map of Nearest Airports to DCA
- List of Nearest Airports to DCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from DCA
- List of Furthest Airports from DCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to YOW
- List of Nearest Airports to YOW
- Map of Furthest Airports from YOW
- List of Furthest Airports from YOW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States and Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 453 miles (or 728 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 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | YOW / CYOW |
| Airport Name: | Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport |
| Location: | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| GPS Coordinates: | 45°19'20"N by 75°40'1"W |
| Area Served: | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Operator/Owner: | Transport Canada |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 374 feet (114 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from YOW |
| More Information: | YOW Maps & Info |
Facts about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):
- On March 23, 2011, the air traffic control supervisor on duty reportedly fell asleep during the night shift.
- 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 is a public airport 3 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia.
- In 2013, Reagan National Airport handled 20,415,085 passengers, which was a new record.
- 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.
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has 3 runways.
- Although the need for a better airport was acknowledged in 37 studies conducted between 1926 and 1938, there was a statutory prohibition against federal development of airports.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 1984 Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole appointed a commission to study transferring National and Dulles Airports from the Federal Aviation Administration to a local entity, which could use airport revenues to finance improvements.
Facts about Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW):
- The airport was originally opened at Uplands on a high plateau south of Ottawa by the Ottawa Flying Club, which still operates from the field.
- Non-stop and same-plane freighter flights
- In 2003, the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport Authority unveiled its new passenger terminal building.
- The airport actually consists of two distinct airfields connected by a taxiway.
- Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) has 3 runways.
- On February 17, 2008, a WestJet Boeing 737 from Calgary International Airport went off the end of runway 07 shortly after landing.
- During the 1950s, while the airport was still named Uplands and a joint-use civilian/military field, it was the busiest airport in Canada by takeoffs and landings, reaching a peak of 307,079 aircraft movements in 1959, nearly double its current traffic.
- The furthest airport from Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,465 miles (18,451 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- In February 2010, Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport was recognized by customers for its excellent customer service in the results of Airports Council International's Airport Service Quality program.
- The closest airport to Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport (YRO), which is located only 10 miles (15 kilometers) N of YOW.
- Because of Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport's relatively low elevation of 374 feet, planes can take off or land at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier 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.
- OC Transpo bus route 97 provides frequent express service to downtown along a dedicated transitway with connections to the O-Train and other bus stations.
