Nonstop flight route between Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Alexandria, Louisiana, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from DSM to ESF:
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- About this route
- DSM Airport Information
- ESF Airport Information
- Facts about DSM
- Facts about ESF
- Map of Nearest Airports to DSM
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- Map of Furthest Airports from DSM
- List of Furthest Airports from DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to ESF
- List of Nearest Airports to ESF
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- List of Furthest Airports from ESF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Esler Field (ESF), Alexandria, Louisiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 705 miles (or 1,134 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 Des Moines International Airport and Esler Field, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ESF / KESF |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Alexandria, Louisiana, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°23'41"N by 92°17'44"W |
Area Served: | Central Louisiana |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 112 feet (34 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ESF |
More Information: | ESF Maps & Info |
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- The airport was originally governed by the City of Des Moines' Parks Department.
- On December 18, 2010, a small red Beechcraft Bonanza crashed while performing an emergency landing at DSM.
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
- In 2012, the airport had 1,038,484 enplanementsFederal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 919,990 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 853,596 in 2009 and 932,828 in 2011.
- In 2011, the City of Des Moines transferred control from the city to the Des Moines Airport Authority.
- Des Moines International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles southwest of Des Moines, in Polk County, Iowa.
- The Des Moines Terminal has 2 concourses.
- 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.
- 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.
- Interior renovation work began in 2009 on the airport and concluded in 2010.
- This airport is in in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which called it a primary commercial service airport.
Facts about Esler Field (ESF):
- The airport covers an area of 2,161 acres at an elevation of 112 feet above mean sea level.
- Because of Esler Field's relatively low elevation of 112 feet, planes can take off or land at Esler Field 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 closest airport to Esler Field (ESF) is Alexandria International Airport (AEX), which is located only 16 miles (25 kilometers) WSW of ESF.
- About 60 percent of the airport's operations are military and the rest are civilian.
- After World War I in 1919 the Army had abandoned Camp Beauregard and turned the property over to the state of Louisiana, which returned it to the United States, however interest in the military utilization of Camp Beauregard increased significantly in 1939 when war began in Europe.
- The first unit assigned for training at Esler was the 12th Bombardment Group, arriving for B-25 Mitchell training on 21 February 1942.
- In the 1970s, the airport had scheduled passenger airline service provided by several air carriers including Delta Air Lines which operated mainline jet aircraft from Esler.
- In December 1942, the mission was changed to training Reconnaissance units, and Esler was reassigned directly to Third Air Force.
- In addition to being known as "Esler Field", another name for ESF is "Esler Regional AirportEsler Army Airfield".
- The furthest airport from Esler Field (ESF) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,988 miles (17,683 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- Esler Field (ESF) has 2 runways.