Abandoned Airports Around the World | BudgetAir.com Blog (2024)

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What airport was built but never used? ›

A great example of an abandoned airport is in Berlin: Tempelhof Airport. A place with an awful lot of history! It was built by the Nazis during the First and Second World Wars, but they never used it as an airport. Nowadays, it is used as an event space and you will also find the largest refugee camp in Germany.

But there are a few countries in the world where there is simply no room for airports, and we'll talk here about five of them. Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Liechtenstein and the Vatican are States without airports.

There are, according to Paul Freeman's extensive efforts, 1,849 mostly or entirely abandoned airports and airfields in the United States, and, according to Ronald V (who was inspired by Freeman's efforts in the US) 1,071 airports and airfields of similar abandoned status in Europe.

Kai Tak International Airport, Hong Kong - Abandoned In 1998

The first recorded flights from Kai Tak International occurred in 1925, when there was far less of Kowloon City around. By the time the airport closed in 1998, it was considered one of the most difficult airports for pilots to navigate in the world.

SAVANNAH, Ga.

– Passengers aboard planes at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia may not realize they're rolling over generations of history buried 6 feet under one of the runways.

However, Delaware is the only state in the US without an airport that has regularly scheduled passenger air service — although it has 11 airports of any type (including military).

Vatican City has no airport, but has Vatican City Heliport in the western corner, which is used by visiting heads and Vatican officials. It would be physically impossible to fit an airport into the 0.44 km² (0.17 sq mi) land area of the Holy See.

But countries with only one main airport are a different thing. Best examples are Hong Kong and Singapore: You can prosper there, even with competitors, as long as you have an elaborated hub-spoke-system.

The only privately owned airport in the United States with commercial airline service is Branson Airport in Branson, Missouri.

Who owns most US airports? ›

All but one U.S. commercial airport are owned and operated by public entities, including local, regional or state authorities with the power to issue bonds to finance some of their capital needs. Airports are landlords.

Due to the terrain and the low possibility of a safe go-around for a missed approach, there are no go-around procedures for this airport. Tenzing–Hillary Airport is frequently referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world.

The World's Oldest Continuously Operated Airport

College Park Airport (KCGS) was established in 1909 after Wilbur Wright came to the field to train two military officers to fly in the government's first aeroplane.

Achmad Yani International Airport, the first floating airport in the world started construction on 17 June 2014, and was completed in 2018.

Some airports around the world have become abandoned due to financial woes, such as Ciudad Real Central Airport in Spain. Others, like Sukhumi Babushara Airport in Abkhazia, have been damaged in conflict. The vacant, dilapidated spaces are occasionally used as movie sets or for scrap metal.

The title of "world's oldest airport" is disputed. Toussus-le-Noble airport near Paris was established in 1907 and has been operating since. College Park Airport in Maryland, US, established in 1909 by Wilbur Wright serves only general aviation traffic.