Nonstop flight route between Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Kansas City, Missouri, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from DSM to MKC:
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- About this route
- DSM Airport Information
- MKC Airport Information
- Facts about DSM
- Facts about MKC
- 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 MKC
- List of Nearest Airports to MKC
- Map of Furthest Airports from MKC
- List of Furthest Airports from MKC
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States and Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC), Kansas City, Missouri, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 174 miles (or 279 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 Charles B. Wheeler Downtown 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: | MKC / KMKC |
Airport Name: | Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport |
Location: | Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 39°7'23"N by 94°35'34"W |
Area Served: | Kansas City, Missouri |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 756 feet (230 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from MKC |
More Information: | MKC Maps & Info |
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- Des Moines International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles southwest of Des Moines, in Polk County, Iowa.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Interior renovation work began in 2009 on the airport and concluded in 2010.
- 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.
Facts about Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC):
- Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,758 miles (17,313 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC) is Kansas City International Airport (MCI), which is located only 14 miles (22 kilometers) NNW of MKC.
- The airport had limited area for expansion.
- Taxiway H was at one time part of runway 17/35.
- The airport is on the north side of the confluence of the Kansas River and Missouri River.
- Because of Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport's relatively low elevation of 756 feet, planes can take off or land at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown 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.
- Construction on runway 1-19 is complete and both runways are in use to their full length.