• Photo History 
• It Started With Air Mail
• Des Moines’ Many Air Fields
• The Airport Breaks Ground
• Airfield History
• Airport Governance
• Airport Activities
• Airline History
• Air Cargo History
• Passenger Terminal
• Airport Agencies
• DSM from 2003 to Present
• Ready For Tomorrow
• Picture downloads of DSM
  

It Started With Air Mail

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Throughout the years the airport expanded from its modest beginning of 160 acres: to a site by the end of the 1930’s of 640 acres; to a site in the early 1970’s of just over 1,000 acres; to 1,300 acres during the 1980’s; and to approximately 2,100 acres at the turn of the century.  A significant expansion of approximately 360 acres took place in the late 1990’s, after the airport relocated Army Post Road to a new location approximately a quarter mile to the south (Army Post Road had historically been the south boundary of the Airport and it’s relocation opened up the ability to significantly expand the airfield area). Expansion of the Airport has been moving to the west in an area that is relatively open and undeveloped. With the latest land acquisitions to date, the actual area of the airport is approximately 3,100 acres. The Airport is constantly growing and land acquisitions are being made to make the total area of the airfield and grounds even larger in the future.

The Airport originally opened with two, 1,800 feet long by 100 feet wide asphalt runways edged with concrete.  By the end of the 1930’s, the Airport had four runways, the longest being the northwest/southeast runway at 5,200 feet long by 150 feet wide.  By the late 1960’s, the Airport’s runway configuration consisted of the main northwest/southeast runway at 9,000 feet long by 150 feet wide; the southwest/northeast crosswind runway at 6,500 feet long by 150 feet wide; and a 3,200 feet long by 100 feet wide general aviation runway on the west side of the Airport.  In 2001, the 3,200 foot long general aviation runway was closed to make room for air cargo facility expansion and to accommodate the $80 million extension of the southwest/northeast runway to its ultimate length of 9,000 feet.  The southwest/northeast runway extension project was constructed as a noise compatibility project to reduce aircraft overflight of the developed areas north and east of the Airport, and was completed in the fall of 2002. 

Today the Airport has two full service runways, one is the longest air strip in the state of Iowa at 9,003 feet, and the other a 9,001 ft. runway capable of accommodating any size and type of aircraft with instrument landing systems. There are three approaches and with air traffic control services provided 24 hours per day, seven days per week. There are plans to re-open a parallel runway to separate the commercial and air cargo operations from the general aviation traffic. Presently, the date that's forecasted to resume construction of that runway project is sometime after 2011.

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Airport Governance

The Airport was originally operated as a part of the City of Des Moines Parks Department.  In the 1960’s, it was transitioned into a separate Aviation Department within the city government to include an aviation director appointed by the city manager.  In 1982, the City established an Aviation Policy Advisory Board to advise management and the City Council on airport and aviation policy.  In 1986, upon advise of the Aviation Policy Advisory Board, and in recognition of the presence of the U.S. Customs office at the Airport, the City Council officially renamed the Airport the “Des Moines International Airport”.  By 1984, the Airport had become a financially self-supportive, enterprise operation within the City, and to this day, continues to be financially self-supporting with an annual operating budget of over $20 million and an annual capital budget that varies from $20 to $30 million.  In 1993, this advisory board was reformed into a policy making board (under Chapter 392 of the Iowa Code) to govern the operation of the Airport as an “Administrative Agency” within the city government.  This seven member board, appointed by the City Council, continues to function today in it’s capacity as an Administrative Agency operating and governing the Des Moines International Airport. 

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Airport Activities

Throughout its history Des Moines has been an active airport, particularly in support of general aviation.  Up until 1977, when aircraft operations at the Airport reached a high of over 249,000, the aircraft activities had continued to increase - primarily being driven by continued growth in general aviation activities.  Since that time, despite growth in commercial aircraft activities related to airline travel and air cargo growth, overall aircraft activities have been declining due to the decrease in general aviation activities in central Iowa and across the country.  This decline in the number of general aviation activities was further accelerated in the early 1990’s with the opening of the Ankeny Regional Airport, which is a general aviation airport that was constructed as a reliever airport to the Des Moines International Airport.  Today, total daily aircraft activities at the airport amount to approximately 90,000 operations per year.  This includes all major airlines, regional airlines, cargo airlines, general aviation, and military activities.

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By the time the Des Moines Airport was situated in its present location, United Air Lines was well established and even had its own taxi-through hangar.  In 1940, Mid-Continent started its Des Moines operation with 10 and 14 passenger Lockheed planes.  In 1952, without interrupting its service, Braniff Airways absorbed the company.  In 1957, Ozark was the third airline to join the ranks of those serving Des Moines. During the 60's, the complexion of air travel changed.  It became less casual and more security conscious as skyjacking signs appeared in airports and passengers found out that everything from belt buckles to metal frame glasses could possibly set off the beep of the magnetometer.  During this period, Des Moines experienced the introduction of jet service.  As early as 1963, United Airlines initiated jet service with flights to DSM using a Caravelle VIR, a twin engine jet manufactured in France. The total number of annual airline passengers using the Airport surpassed the half million mark for the first time in 1966.

Service expanded and dramatically changed in the 1990's. In t he first few years of the 21^st century, many new airlines came into the market with a few leaving.  Midway Airlines went out of business in the early 1990’s, and numerous airlines entered too and included: USAir; Air Tran; Vanguard; and Des Moines’ own, home-based airline, Access Air.  Other airlines entered and are still in the market including: the family of Delta Connection carriers (Comair, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and SkyWest Airlines); Midwest Express and their regional partner Skyways; and Chicago Express, the regional partner for ATA.  ATA declared bankruptcy at the end of 2004 and discontinued the Chicago Express service to Midway Airport in Chicago. In 2001, TWA was purchased and absorbed by American Airlines.  Continental Express started service in the Des Moines market in the summer of 2002.

During this time, the airline fleets and the mix of aircraft at Des Moines also changed dramatically. A significant reduction in the number of larger, airline jet aircraft, such as the Boeing 727 and 737’s, served the Des Moines’ market.  These larger aircraft were, and are, continuing to be replaced with more flights of smaller regional jet aircraft, or as they're more commonly referred to as RJ's.  Despite annual year-to-year changes, both up and down, airline passenger activity during this period continued a slight overall upward trend with it’s high point in 1996 at just over 1.8 million passengers, but ending 2001 after the events of 9-11 terrorist activity with an annual passenger activity at just over 1.6 million.  In the summer of 2002, Des Moines is enjoying the service of five major airlines (American, America West, Midwest Express, Northwest and United) and twelve regional airlines (Air Midwest, American Eagle, Chicago Express, Chautauqua, Atlantic Southeast, Atlantic Coast, Comair, Mesaba, Skyway, Continental Express, SkyWest, and Express 1 Airlines).

As they like to say, the names change, but business goes on as usual. Such is the case of the airlines that serve the DSM International Airport. At the end of the year in 2004, ATA Airlines, which operated our Chicago Express service to Chicago’s Midway Airport, pulled out due to bankruptcy, a trend that would continue to wreak havoc and turmoil with the Airline Industry in the decade. But, DSM was very fortunate to continue a presence of most of the major legacy carriers: United, American, America West, Northwest, Delta (Comair), Continental (Express), and Midwest Airlines. Also in June of 2004, Allegiant Air signed on with DSM as a signatory carrier providing non-stop service to Las Vegas. Their service would continue through the decade as a presence of a low fare air carrier specifically geared to attract a niche market of popular destinations for Central Iowans.

2004 was a monumental year for the commercial airline business at the DSM International Airport with a record year of enplanements approaching the million passenger mark as the best year in commercial air service history. Allegiant continued to build on its offerings of destinations to a hungry Central Iowa community by adding an Orlando, Florida, nonstop service in May of 2005. Their presence had already solidified Las Vegas as the number one destination out of DSM. They would later add popular service to Tampa Bay in 2007.

In 2006, America West merged with US Airways and would be noted as US Airways for all future business. After the banner year of 2004, Commercial Air travel continued a boon nationwide and especially here at DSM with 2005-06, and then finally with 2007 being the 2nd best enplanement year in the Airport’s history. With the non-stop addition of Los Angeles, the continuation of Salt Lake City, and the brief addition of Cleveland, DSM peaked at a record-breaking number of 20 non-stops in 2008.

The Airline Industry, as many other industries and the country in general, have fallen on hard times and after a record-breaking pace of enplanements in the first six months of 2008, enplanements began to trail off in 2009. Ending with a total of enplanements second only to the end of the 2001 milestone year, which was the worst year in commercial air history with the terrorist acts of Sept 11th. Two more major airlines have merged as of 2008, Northwest into Delta Airlines, as airlines begin ways of positioning themselves to weather the storms of the up and down economy. DSM International is encouraged with news of Air Tran coming back to the Des Moines market after serving here briefly in the late 1990’s.

DSM now has another low fare airline in Air Tran to provide competitive pricing and new destinations as we look beyond 2010. We are optimistic that the best years for our Airport lie ahead of us and we and Central Iowa are ready to position the Airport as one of the best in the future.

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Until the 1980’s, the vast majority of cargo and mail through the Airport was handled and moved in the cargo compartments of the passenger aircraft.  Beginning in the early 1980’s, the Airport began to experience the movement of cargo aboard aircraft dedicated to all cargo and freight.  Initially, all these cargo activities and aircraft, including companies such as SMB Stage Lines, Emery Worldwide, Orion Air, Federal Express, United Parcel Service and Airborne Express, were accommodated through, and adjacent to, the separate airline air freight buildings located on the east side of the airport, just south of the passenger terminal building.  As the air-freight business began to grow, Des Moines’ air cargo facilities quickly were outgrown.  In 1989, the Airport completed the construction of a 685,000 square foot aircraft apron for cargo aircraft on the south side of the Airport at a cost of $6,000,000.  The apron was designed for up to six DC-8 type aircraft in a power out configuration.  To support this new aircraft apron, in 1992 the Airport constructed and opened a new 11,000 square foot cargo building at a cost of over $1,000,000.  The building was quickly fully leased to United Parcel Service and Federal Express .  In late 1996, the south air cargo apron was slightly expanded at a cost of $500,000 and in 2002 was significantly expanded and lighted at a cost of over $9,000,000.  At the beginning of the 1980’s, there were just over 17,000 metric tons of air cargo being handled at the Airport.  By the end of the 1980’s, that had grown to 60,000 metric tons. By the end of 2000, that number had grown to over 113,000 metric tons.

On August 21, 2003, a $4.4 million check was presented to the DSM International Airport to fund the expansion of the South Cargo Apron to meet the future demands of cargo activity here at the airport. This would expand the cargo apron by 65% and build on DSM as the 37th largest cargo airport in the country making it a linchpin of the business plan for DSM in the future. With addition of a new 27,500 sq. ft. South Cargo Building in the Fall of 2006, DSM was making a long term commitment to cargo as a part of the airport’s future. The new cargo apron would cover 27- acres and be able to house up to twenty-three large jets at a time.

The DSM International Airport cargo handlers process 95% of the cargo needs for the State of Iowa. By the end of the fiscal year of 2005-’06, cargo activity exceeded 200 million pounds for the first time since 2002. By the end of the next fiscal year in June of 2007, it was up another 5% and we ended the year with a tally of 210,038,334 pounds of freight.

The initial passenger terminal facilities at the Airport were completed in the mid 1930’s. They consisted of a 100 foot by 140 foot municipal hangar and an 80 foot by 128 foot United Airlines hangar.  A new passenger terminal, an eye-opening edifice of burnished aluminum and glass located on the east side of the Airport, was opened in 1950.  Renovations and expansion of that building have been ongoing since that time.  In 1959, the terminal building gained an addition and the open concourse was enclosed to shelter passengers in inclement weather.

In the late 1960’s, the Airport had begun again to remodel and expand the passenger terminal.  Included in this expansion and renovation were: carousel baggage claim centers; air conditioning; new ticket counters (plus expanded facilities for airlines); a news stand; gift shop; cocktail lounge; coffee shop; car rental insurance counters; and the replacement of the ground level boarding area with the second level boarding areas, which would become known as Concourse A and Concourse C.

By the mid-1980’s, renovation and expansion of the terminal building was again underway.  These improvements were highlighted with the installation of: all new airline counters; all new seating; carpeting of the concourses and portions of the main terminal area; expanded airline operating spaces; passenger boarding bridges installed at each second level boarding area; and all new, in-bound and out-bound baggage systems.

In 1998, the Airport completed a new 40,000 square foot baggage claim area at a cost of over $4.8 million.  By 2000, two expanded parking garages, totaling more than 1,900 parking spaces and costing over $20 million, had been completed along with; skywalks between the garages and the main terminal area; a new lobby area adjacent to the skywalk; extensive landscaping around the terminal building and the front roadway; and a remodeled and expanded restaurant and gift shop areas, both in the main terminal and on the concourse level.

Recruiting of members for the new unit began the following month.  The 124^th Observation Squadron was organized on February 25, 1941, with an allotted strength of 31 officers and 116 enlisted personnel.  In September of 1941, the squadron was called to active service during World War II.

After the war, the 124^th was combined with the 132^nd Fighter Group in an extensive re-organization of the Air Guard and these units became the 132^nd Fighter Wing.  The Wing was again called to active service during the Korean conflict and returned to State control in January, 1953. The early 1950’s arrival of the “Jet Age” in military aviation had a dramatic impact on the Air Guard and the Des Moines Airport.  Due to the pending arrival of F-80 Fighter Jets at the Air Guard, over one million dollars of federally funded improvements were added to the Airport.  The work included the addition of 1,800 feet to the main runway and 3,480 feet of taxiways to accommodate the Guard's Fighter Jets.  These improvements facilitated the arrival of commercial jet service in Des Moines.  Between 1962 and 1974, additional Airport improvements were made on behalf of the Air Guard to include: runway drains; 1,500 foot runway; 1,859 foot taxiway; 150 foot blast pad; 650 foot overrun; 3,900 foot overlay; runway overrun; and the visual approach slope indicator system.  As the Airport has modernized, so has the Iowa Air Guard.  Today, the 132^nd Tactical Fighter Wing flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a modern front-line fighter.  Since the beginning of the 124^th Observation Squadron back in 1941 until today, this unit has been assigned 22 different types of aircraft.  The 1,300 plus men and women of the 132^nd are an integral part of the Air National Guard and Tactical Air Command structure.  They maintain a strong and ready force capable of worldwide deployment. They have also been involved in all of the Mid-East conflicts to the present Iraq War.

Other long-standing business on the Airport includes; United Airlines; Des Moines Flying Service (known as Signature Flying Service today); and Elliott Flying Service.  Today, approximately 70 different agencies and businesses are on the Airport and employ, excluding the Iowa Air National Guard, over 1,500 people.  The Airport and the businesses on the Airport, provide an annual economic impact of over $182 million to Des Moines and central Iowa.