World’s Smallest Airports?
Ivalo Airport, Finland
The smallest airports are often on the outskirts of the inhabited world. Ivalo Airport is on the edge of the Hammastunturi wilderness, which is the furthest north you can fly in Finland. The airport was built in the 1940’s during the gold rush, when prospectors flocked in to pan for precious metals in the pristine rivers of the Arctic Circle. Today, visitors come to the area, also known as Lapland, to enjoy hiking, fishing or hunting in the unspoilt scenery. In winter, they come to experience the magic of Christmas – snow, reindeer and Santa Claus. Passengers arriving at the log and brick terminal are greeted with snow sculptures and candles. And if you’re too old to be looking for a sleigh in the sky, you still might see something special up there – the Northern Lights.
Samui Airport, Thailand
Samui Airport was built in the 1980’s using local palm leaves, wood and rattan, to blend in with its surroundings. It has no walls – only a roof – so it is open to the air and doesn’t need any cooling systems. This is a picture of the departure gate. Its design is certainly unusual and has seen it winning several awards. It’s frequently described by visitors as “the most beautiful airport in the world”.
Bhadrapur Airport, Nepal
Bhadrapur Aiport is in eastern Nepal, near the border with India. Travellers flying in are treated to a spectacular panorama of the Himalayas, including Mount Everest. This tiny airport is used by many backpackers, setting out on treks into the mountains or visiting the famous tea plantations of Darjeeling.
Nanisivik Airport, Canada
This airport is on Baffin Island, in the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. Nanisivik means “the place where people find things” in the native language of Inuktitut. The terminal building is little more than a tin shed and has only about 10 seats for waiting passengers. It was built to serve a local zinc-lead mine, which closed down in 2002. The airport continued to operate, connecting the inhabitants of this remote place to the outside world. Unfortunately, when the mine shut down, it cut off the power to the airport and for a week planes had to land without runway lights, radio signals or weather reports. Thankfully, the airport now has its own electricity generator.
Barra Airport, Scotland
This airport is found on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. It is the only airport in the world where scheduled planes use the beach as a runway. At high tide, the area where the planes are supposed to land is under water. Understandably, this limits the amount of time the airport can be in operation and the on-site fire crews are more often called upon to deal with stranded seals and dolphins than anything to do with aircraft. Incredibly, the beach remains open to the public, and a wind sock is used to warn visitors when they are in danger of being knocked over by an incoming plane.
We’d like to hear from you!
Are these the world’s smallest airports? Do you know an even smaller one? Have you been to any of these airports? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.
Credits
Photo 1 – HFlight.net
Photo 2 – Binderdonerdat
Photo 3 – David Lee
Photo 4 – Andrew Flynn
Photo 5 – James Gray