Nonstop flight route between Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Tingwall Airport (LWK), Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,867 miles (or 6,224 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 Tingwall Airport and Des Moines 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 Tingwall Airport and Des Moines 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 Tingwall Airport (LWK):

• In addition to being known as "Tingwall Airport", another name for LWK is "Lerwick/Tingwall Airport".
• Tingwall Airport (LWK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Tingwall Airport (LWK) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,422 miles (18,383 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
• Tingwall Airport handled 5,059 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Tingwall Airport (LWK) is Scatsta Airport (SCS), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of LWK.
• Because of Tingwall Airport's relatively low elevation of 45 feet, planes can take off or land at Tingwall 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 Des Moines International Airport (DSM):

• 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 2011, the City of Des Moines transferred control from the city to the Des Moines Airport Authority.
• 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.
• In addition to work inside the passenger terminal, the airport is building a rental car facility and new parking facilities.
• Interior renovation work began in 2009 on the airport and concluded in 2010.
• 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.
• 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.