KDSM · Des Moines International Airport

DES MOINES, IOWA · LARGE AIRPORT · SCHEDULED SERVICE

958

Elevation ft

Runways

9,004

Longest ft · 5/23

41.53N

93.66W

Des Moines International Airport serves Des Moines, Iowa at 958 ft elevation with its longest runway, 5/23, at 9,004 by 150 ft. The figures below are computed from FAA NASR runway data (via OurAirports) and the same rules of thumb JetDesk uses on the airport page in the app; the POH and current NOTAMs are the authority.

Open KDSM in JetDesk: live METAR, TAF, winds and runway verdict →

01Runways

Runway	Length × width	Surface	Lighting
5/23	9,004 × 150 ft	concrete	lit
13/31	9,001 × 150 ft	asphalt	lit

02Density altitude and turboprop runway margins

Standard temperature at 958 ft is about 13°C. Every 1,000 ft of density altitude adds roughly 8 percent to a turboprop's takeoff distance and 5 percent to its landing distance. The table uses Piper Meridian book numbers (2,438 ft takeoff and 2,110 ft landing over a 50 ft obstacle at sea level, ISA, max weight) as a reference airplane; heavier turboprops and light jets scale the same way from their own POH figures.

Conditions	Density altitude	Takeoff est.	Landing est.	Landing × 1.5
Standard day (ISA, 13°C)	958 ft	2,625 ft	2,211 ft	3,317 ft
Warm day (ISA +10)	2,158 ft	2,859 ft	2,338 ft	3,507 ft
Hot day (ISA +20)	3,358 ft	3,093 ft	2,464 ft	3,696 ft
35°C afternoon	3,588 ft	3,138 ft	2,489 ft	3,733 ft

Planning aid only. Even on a 35°C afternoon the longest runway (5/23, 9,004 ft) covers a Meridian-class turboprop's landing distance with a 50 percent margin (3,733 ft needed). The percentages are a generic rule of thumb applied to one reference airplane, not certified performance data for any specific aircraft, and the runway size categories describe the runway, not your airplane's suitability. Verify with the approved flight manual before every flight.

03Nearby fields with 5,000 ft or more

Useful as alternates, as fuel stops when the price at KDSM is high, or as the longer runway on a hot afternoon.

Airport	Distance	Longest runway
KIKV Ankeny Regional Airport	10 nm NE	5,500 ft
KAMW Ames Municipal Airport	28 nm N	5,701 ft
KPRO Perry Municipal Airport	29 nm NW	5,500 ft
KTNU Newton Municipal Airport	30 nm E	5,600 ft
KPEA Pella Municipal Airport	33 nm E	5,402 ft
KGGI Grinnell Regional Airport	43 nm E	5,200 ft

04Jet A prices and FBOs at KDSM

No public API publishes FBO fuel prices, so JetDesk does not guess. Pilots and crews log the price they actually paid at KDSM, the app flags a price stale after two weeks, and the route finder ranks every field within a corridor of your route by net savings after the cost of the extra cycle. Log a price at KDSM or read what a fuel stop actually saves.

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