Nonstop flight route between Rochester, Minnesota, United States and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RST to MSL:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- RST Airport Information
- MSL Airport Information
- Facts about RST
- Facts about MSL
- Map of Nearest Airports to RST
- List of Nearest Airports to RST
- Map of Furthest Airports from RST
- List of Furthest Airports from RST
- Map of Nearest Airports to MSL
- List of Nearest Airports to MSL
- Map of Furthest Airports from MSL
- List of Furthest Airports from MSL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Rochester International Airport (RST), Rochester, Minnesota, United States and Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL), Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 685 miles (or 1,102 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 Rochester International Airport and Northwest Alabama Regional Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RST / KRST |
Airport Name: | Rochester International Airport |
Location: | Rochester, Minnesota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°54'29"N by 92°30'0"W |
Operator/Owner: | City of Rochester |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1317 feet (401 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from RST |
More Information: | RST Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MSL / KMSL |
Airport Name: | Northwest Alabama Regional Airport |
Location: | Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°44'43"N by 87°36'37"W |
Area Served: | Muscle Shoals, Alabama |
Operator/Owner: | Colbert & Lauderdale Counties |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 551 feet (168 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from MSL |
More Information: | MSL Maps & Info |
Facts about Rochester International Airport (RST):
- A five passenger plane en route to Rochester crashed in Lake Michigan, killing the four passengers, but the pilot did survive.
- Rochester International Airport (RST) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Rochester International Airport (RST) is Austin Municipal Airport (AUM), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) SW of RST.
- The furthest airport from Rochester International Airport (RST) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,811 miles (17,399 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- In 1960 it was decided to replace Lobb Field with a new airport southwest of the town because it could not be expanded to accommodate the larger airliners & was too close to the urban area of Rochester.
- Airport directors from the airport are attempting to get more air service into Rochester.
Facts about Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL):
- Prior to summer 2009, Muscle Shoals was served from Northwest Airlines' hub in Memphis via Northwest Airlink turboprop service operated by Mesaba Airlines.
- Because of Northwest Alabama Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 551 feet, planes can take off or land at Northwest Alabama Regional 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.
- Historically, Muscle Shoals was served by Southern Airways which operated Douglas DC-9-10 and DC-9-30 jetliners on nonstop and direct flights to Atlanta.
- The furthest airport from Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,143 miles (17,932 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) is Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU), which is located 38 miles (62 kilometers) E of MSL.
- Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) has 2 runways.