Nonstop flight route between Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Memphis, Tennessee, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from DSM to MEM:
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- About this route
- DSM Airport Information
- MEM Airport Information
- Facts about DSM
- Facts about MEM
- Map of Nearest Airports to DSM
- List of Nearest Airports to DSM
- Map of Furthest Airports from DSM
- List of Furthest Airports from DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to MEM
- List of Nearest Airports to MEM
- Map of Furthest Airports from MEM
- List of Furthest Airports from MEM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Memphis International Airport (MEM), Memphis, Tennessee, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 491 miles (or 790 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 Memphis International Airport, 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: | MEM / KMEM |
Airport Name: | Memphis International Airport |
Location: | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 35°2'32"N by 89°58'36"W |
Area Served: | Memphis, Tennessee |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 341 feet (104 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from MEM |
More Information: | MEM Maps & Info |
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- The Des Moines Terminal has 2 concourses.
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
- 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.
- In addition to work inside the passenger terminal, the airport is building a rental car facility and new parking facilities.
- 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 airport was originally governed by the City of Des Moines' Parks Department.
- On December 1, 2007, a United Express plane carrying 44 passengers slid off a taxiway while taxiing to the runway for takeoff.
- Interior renovation work began in 2009 on the airport and concluded in 2010.
- 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.
- This airport is in in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which called it a primary commercial service airport.
- 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.
Facts about Memphis International Airport (MEM):
- The furthest airport from Memphis International Airport (MEM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,010 miles (17,719 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Memphis International Airport (MEM) has 4 runways.
- The closest airport to Memphis International Airport (MEM) is Olive Branch Airport (OLV), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) ESE of MEM.
- The 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard is based at the co-located Memphis Air National Guard Base, operating C-17 Globe master III transport aircraft.
- Because of Memphis International Airport's relatively low elevation of 341 feet, planes can take off or land at Memphis 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.
- Memphis International Airport handled 7,874,888 passengers last year.
- Since 2009 the airport has been a small hub for small regional airline SeaPort Airlines, which has single-engine flights to communities in Arkansas through the Essential Air Service program.
- Memphis International Airport is home to the FedEx Express global hub, which processes many of the company's packages.