Nonstop flight route between Saarbrücken, Germany and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Saarbrücken Airport (SCN), Saarbrücken, Germany and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,543 miles (or 7,312 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 Saarbrücken 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 Saarbrücken 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 Saarbrücken Airport (SCN):

• In addition to being known as "Saarbrücken Airport", another name for SCN is "Flughafen Saarbrücken".
• The closest airport to Saarbrücken Airport (SCN) is Zweibrücken Airport (ZQW), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) E of SCN.
• Saarbrücken Airport (SCN) has 2 runways.
• Regional bus R10 provides scheduled connections to Saarbrücken city center including Saarbrücken main station.
• In 2005, a record year, nearly 500,000 passengers used Saarbrücken Airport.
• The furthest airport from Saarbrücken Airport (SCN) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Saarbrücken Airport (meaning Saarbrücken Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,027 miles (19,355 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The airport's suboptimal location meant winter flights were not possible and bad weather and poor flying conditions caused frequent problems.

Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):

• On December 18, 2010, a small red Beechcraft Bonanza crashed while performing an emergency landing at 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.
• Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
• Des Moines International Airport covers 2,625 acres at an elevation of 958 feet above mean sea level.
• On December 1, 2007, a United Express plane carrying 44 passengers slid off a taxiway while taxiing to the runway for takeoff.
• This airport is in in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which called it a primary commercial service airport.
• 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.