DSM Terminal-Area-Concept-Plan-Technical-Report - FINAL

Introduction and Airport Overview
Key regional airport with strong local traffic base
KEY POINTS
• Most important Airport
in Iowa
• Over two million
passengers served in
2013
Airport setting
Des Moines International Airport (the Airport) is a civilmilitary
public airport located three miles southwest of
downtown Des Moines, in the southern portion of Polk
County (Figure 1). It was opened in 1933 and has since
served residents and visitors of the Des Moines Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) consisting of Polk, Dallas, Warren, Des
Moines and Guthrie counties in Iowa. It is classified in the
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems as a primary
commercial service airport and has an important role in the
national, state, and local air transportation systems.
Des Moines International Airport is a small air traffic hub and
ranked as the 86 th largest passenger airport in the United
States in 2012. It is primarily an Origin and Destination (O&D)
airport with 96% of its passengers originating from the
Airport and the remaining 4% connecting.
This large O&D passenger base reflects the strength of the
Des Moines MSA’s economy and its role as a business, trade,
manufacturing, and government center. In August 2013, the
Airport was served by four mainline passenger airlines, three
low-cost carrier airlines, and seven regional affiliates, which
together provided 49 daily nonstop departures to 15
destinations. The Airport was also served by two national allcargo
airlines – FedEx and UPS – as well as regional feeder
cargo airlines.
Figure 1
Airport Vicinity Map
Des Moines International Airport
7
TERMINAL AREA CONCEPT PLAN TECHNICAL REPORT
Des Moines International Airport