Nonstop flight route between Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Luang Prabang, Laos:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ), Luang Prabang, Laos would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,073 miles (or 12,992 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 Des Moines International Airport and Luang Prabang 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 Des Moines International Airport and Luang Prabang 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 Des Moines International Airport (DSM):

• In addition to work inside the passenger terminal, the airport is building a rental car facility and new parking facilities.
• On March 13, 2008, an Atlanta-bound ASA flight was delayed more than five hours when a mouse was discovered shortly before take-off from DSM.
• 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.
• The Des Moines Terminal has 2 concourses.
• On December 1, 2007, a United Express plane carrying 44 passengers slid off a taxiway while taxiing to the runway for takeoff.
• 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.
• This airport is in in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which called it a primary commercial service airport.
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
• 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 closest airport to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of DSM.

Facts about Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ):

• The closest airport to Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ) is Sayaboury Airport (ZBY), which is located 54 miles (86 kilometers) SSW of LPQ.
• In addition to being known as "Luang Prabang International Airport", another name for LPQ is "ສະຫນາມບິນສາກົນຫຼວງພະບາງ".
• The furthest airport from Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ) is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), which is nearly antipodal to Luang Prabang International Airport (meaning Luang Prabang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maria Reiche Neuman Airport), and is located 12,040 miles (19,377 kilometers) away in Nazca, Ica Region, Peru.
• Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Luang Prabang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 955 feet, planes can take off or land at Luang Prabang 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.