Nonstop flight route between Nukutavake, Tuamotus, French Polynesia and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Nukutavake Airport (NUK), Nukutavake, Tuamotus, French Polynesia and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,096 miles (or 8,202 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 Nukutavake 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 Nukutavake 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 Nukutavake Airport (NUK):

• The furthest airport from Nukutavake Airport (NUK) is Al-Baha Domestic Airport (ABT), which is nearly antipodal to Nukutavake Airport (meaning Nukutavake Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Al-Baha Domestic Airport), and is located 12,362 miles (19,895 kilometers) away in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.
• The closest airport to Nukutavake Airport (NUK) is Tureira Airport (ZTA), which is located 104 miles (167 kilometers) S of NUK.
• Nukutavake Airport (NUK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Nukutavake Airport", another name for NUK is "Aérodrome de Nukutavake".

Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):

• The airport hosts the Des Moines Air National Guard Base and 132d Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard.
• 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.
• 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 2011, the City of Des Moines transferred control from the city to the Des Moines Airport Authority.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.