Nonstop flight route between Richmond, Virginia, United States and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RIC to DSM:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- RIC Airport Information
- DSM Airport Information
- Facts about RIC
- Facts about DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to RIC
- List of Nearest Airports to RIC
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIC
- List of Furthest Airports from RIC
- Map of Nearest Airports to DSM
- List of Nearest Airports to DSM
- Map of Furthest Airports from DSM
- List of Furthest Airports from DSM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Richmond International Airport (RIC), Richmond, Virginia, United States and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 913 miles (or 1,469 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 Richmond International Airport and Des Moines International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RIC / KRIC |
Airport Name: | Richmond International Airport |
Location: | Richmond, Virginia, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°30'18"N by 77°19'9"W |
Area Served: | Richmond, Virginia |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 167 feet (51 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from RIC |
More Information: | RIC Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Richmond International Airport (RIC):
- Richmond International Airport (RIC) has 3 runways.
- Richmond International Airport handled 3,311,747 passengers last year.
- In November 2012, RIC served 262,146 passengers.
- Richmond International has 73 based aircraft.
- The furthest airport from Richmond International Airport (RIC) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,698 miles (18,827 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The airport was dedicated as Richard Evelyn Byrd Flying Field in 1927 in honor of aviator Richard E.
- The closest airport to Richmond International Airport (RIC) is A.P. Hill Army Airfield (APH), which is located 39 miles (63 kilometers) N of RIC.
- Because of Richmond International Airport's relatively low elevation of 167 feet, planes can take off or land at Richmond 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 Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- During the 1920s the Des Moines area had several small private airports for general aviation and airmail.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 closest airport to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of DSM.