Des Moines International Airport (KDSM)

Des Moines International Airport at a glance

Des Moines International Airport is a large airport in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, known to airline systems as DSM. The field elevation of 958 ft (292 m) is the number every arriving pilot dials against QNH — circuit heights and initial approach altitudes at KDSM are all figured from it. The airport handles scheduled commercial service, so expect controlled procedures, published approaches and commercial traffic in the pattern.

Of its 2 runways, the longest — 05/23 — offers 9,004 ft (2744 m) of asp surface, with runway lighting for night operations. Runway numbers give magnetic orientation: runway 05 points roughly 50° magnetic.

For the weather side of planning, the live METAR and TAF page for KDSM shows the current observation decoded line by line — wind on an instrument dial, visibility, cloud layers and the resulting flight rules — refreshed continuously from official sources.

Flight-planning notes for Des Moines International Airport

Density altitude is the quiet performance-killer at any field: on a hot day the 958 ft field elevation of Des Moines International Airport can translate into a substantially higher density altitude, stretching take-off rolls and flattening climb rates — run the numbers rather than trusting the feel of a standard day. Expect published instrument procedures, controlled airspace and clearance requirements; slots and handling may apply to general aviation traffic.

This entry is one of 917 airports and airfields we list for United States — the country index on the airports hub links the rest. Coordinates above are given in both DMS and decimal degrees so they can go straight into a GPS, a flight planner or a chart plot without conversion.

Where this data comes from

The reference layer behind this page builds on the OurAirports dataset — a public-domain, community-maintained register of the world's airports that many flight planners and apps rely on — with equity records preserved from documented historical listings where the dataset is silent. Figures are carried as published: elevations as surveyed, coordinates as filed, runway dimensions as recorded. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap, and the whole layer regenerates from source on every site build, so corrections upstream arrive here automatically.