Nonstop flight route between Nanjing, China and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG), Nanjing, China and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,967 miles (or 11,212 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 Nanjing Lukou International 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 Nanjing Lukou International 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 Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG):

• Because of Nanjing Lukou International Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Nanjing Lukou 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.
• Nanjing Lukou International Airport is the main airport serving Nanjing, and a major airport serving the Yangtze River Delta area.
• Nanjing Lukou International Airport handled 15,011,792 passengers last year.
• Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG) has 2 runways.
• The first phase of Ninggao Intercity Rail Line, also called Line 6 of Nanjing Metro, links the airport to Nanjing South Railway Station.
• The airport now has one terminal, one runway, one taxiway, a cargo center, and an apron.
• The closest airport to Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG) is Changzhou Benniu Airport (CZX), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) ENE of NKG.
• The furthest airport from Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG) is General Justo José de Urquiza Airport (PRA), which is nearly antipodal to Nanjing Lukou International Airport (meaning Nanjing Lukou International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from General Justo José de Urquiza Airport), and is located 12,398 miles (19,953 kilometers) away in Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina.
• In addition to being known as "Nanjing Lukou International Airport", other names for NKG include "南京禄口国际机场" and "Nánjīng Lùkǒu Guójì Jīchǎng".

Facts about Des Moines International Airport (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.
• 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.
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
• 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 hosts the Des Moines Air National Guard Base and 132d Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard.
• 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.
• In addition to work inside the passenger terminal, the airport is building a rental car facility and new parking facilities.