Airports don’t usually stand out…that is, unless you’re running late or your flight’s delayed. But some of them have some quirks that are quite surprising, including airstrips in the mountains or even waterfalls inside the airport. Here are thirteen airports with strange and unusual records. Out of all these odd places, which one would you actually want to see in person?
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.
The northernmost airport with scheduled service
There’s an airport in Svalbard, Norway, that’s at 78° North. It might not seem like much, but it’s as close as you’ll get to the North Pole on a regular plane ticket. The ground is made of permafrost, so they had to install special cooling pipes under the runway to keep it from melting due to global warming. In winter, the place stays dark 24 hours a day.
The southernmost international airport
On the opposite end of the world is Ushuaia International, which sits on the very tip of South America. It’s the southernmost international airport on Earth. In fact, this is the last stop before Antarctica, which is why lots of polar cruises funnel through here, and the airport opened in the ‘90s. It quite literally feels like you’re at the end of the world.
The shortest commercial runway
Saba’s (an island in the Caribbean) only airport has a runway that’s shorter than some highways. It’s only 400 meters. The runway ends in cliffs with the ocean on both sides, meaning there’s zero room for error & big planes aren’t allowed to land at all. But even with these challenges, it has scheduled flights. This makes it the shortest one still in regular use.
Largest airport property by area
King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia is absolutely massive & it sits on an area that’s over 776 square kilometers. That’s bigger than New York City. Of course, not all of it’s developed, but the airport property line covers the entire space, making it the world’s largest by land area.
Longest runway in North America
Denver International Airport has some serious bragging rights. It has a runway that’s 16,000 feet long, which is more than three miles & quite fitting since the airport’s a mile high. Planes need the extra space to get enough lift. For comparison, most large American airports are around 12,000 feet.
Highest civil airport on Earth
Sure, Denver International is a high airport. But Daocheng Yading Airport in China takes things one step further, as it’s around 14,472 feet above sea level, which is higher than some mountains. Most planes struggle with thin air at that altitude. As such, the runway is over 13,000 feet long, although walking around outside still leaves visitors a little winded.
World’s tallest indoor waterfall at an airport
Inside Singapore Changi, you’ll find a glass dome called Jewel, and in the middle of it, there’s a 130-foot indoor waterfall. The water comes through a giant oculus in the roof & straight down into a garden. It’s surrounded by shops & restaurants. At night, they run light shows with it, and it’s the world’s tallest indoor waterfall at an airport.
A cross-border airport bridge
There’s only one airport in the world where you can buy a plane ticket & walk across an international border without ever stepping outside. This is the Cross Border Xpress, or CBX. It connects San Diego directly to Tijuana International, and you cross over a 390-foot enclosed bridge to get to the other side.
The shortest scheduled airline hop
Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland are so close together that you could row the distance. Yet there’s an official airline service between the two. Loganair flies the route daily & the Guinness World Records claims it’s the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. How far is it? Around 1.7 miles…or just under 90 seconds.
The birthplace of duty-free shopping
In 1947, Shannon Airport in western Ireland changed air travel by opening a small shop selling goods free of local duties. Yes, this was the first duty-free store, and it was meant to attract international travelers who were stopping there to refuel on transatlantic trips. Soon enough, airports across the world copied the idea. But it was Shannon Airport that had the first idea.
The world’s oldest continuously operated airport
Maryland’s College Park Airport has been open since 1909. That means it’s the longest-running airport still in operation. The Wright brothers trained the first military pilots here, and later, the airport held early experiments with radio guidance & navigation lights. No other airport has operated longer without closing.
Airport sinking into the sea
Kansai International in Osaka Bay has a record that no airport really wants, as it’s the fastest-sinking major airport in the world. It was built on a man-made island & started dropping right after opening in 1994, with engineers expecting it to settle about 19 feet in total. But it has already sunk more than that. Even so, Kansai serves tens of millions of passengers every year.
A runway crossed by a railway
Trains & planes share the same space in Gisborne on New Zealand’s North Island. The airport’s main runway is literally cut by an active railway line, so whenever a flight’s coming or a train’s scheduled, controllers coordinate to hold one while the other passes. It’s the only place in the world where a working railway crosses a runway.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us.
