Denver International Airport, often referred to by locals as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At 33,531 acres, it is the largest airport in the Western Hemisphere by land area and the second largest on Earth, behind King Fahd International Airport. Runway 16R/34L, with a length of 16,000 feet, is the longest public use runway in North America and the seventh longest on Earth. The airport is 25 miles (40 km) driving distance northeast of Downtown Denver, 19 miles (31 km) farther than the former Stapleton International Airport which DEN replaced; the airport is actually closer to the City of Aurora than central Denver, and many airport-related services, such as hotels, are located in Aurora.
An American Airlines Boeing 737-800 carrying 178 people, including six crew members, caught fire at Denver International Airport..