Have you ever wondered how many unique airports there are in the world? Literally thousands. It’s a question many people ask as they’re planning their next getaway with Travelocity. We’ve partnered with smart luxury travel expert Dr. Cacinda Maloney from PointsandTravel to help us find some unique, unusual, and downright amazing airports in this world. Hang on to your airplane seat!
I travel a great deal internationally, which has me flying into a lot of airports around the world. When Travelocity asked me to write about a few of my airport experiences, I had to think a lot about it. I typically try to spend as little time as possible inside an airport!
But I do have to admit there are some unique, unusual, and incredible ones out there. Some are magnificent and enormous, almost city-like, like ICH (Incheon, South Korea) where you can catch a movie or go to a concert or CDG (Charles de Gaulle, Paris France) where you can shop till your heart’s content. Still, others are so tiny you can blink and be on your way in minutes like AMA (Amarillo, Texas).
I am actually fascinated with airports, big and small, not only because of their size, but also because of where they are located, what they are near, and what makes them unique.
San Pedro Airport on Ambergris Caye, Belize
You can book a flight from Goldson International Airport in Belize City to San Pedro Airport on the tiny Ambergris Caye. But be prepared to climb into a tiny jet and soar over the vast blue waters! My family and I took a Maya Air flight. They have daily flights from the International Airport in Belize City and take about 30 minutes each way.
Gibraltar International Airport, Gibraltar
This tiny British territory has an airport that is just 500 yards from the center of Gibraltar. It manages to be the shortest commute of any major airport in the world! The runway crosses four lanes of traffic and is considered one of the most extreme airports in the world. While there, be sure to visit that famous Rock of Gibraltar.
El Nido Airport, Palawan Philippines
One of the quickest ways to get from Manila into the stunningly gorgeous Palawan region of the Philippines is to take the Air Swift plane that lands in the El Nido Airport. This was one of the most exciting trips I’ve taken. I was picked up by a Jeepney (a Jeep van) while waiting for a Bangka boat ride to El Nido Resorts.
Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, USA
This airport is huge! You need to be prepared before you go to know exactly which gate you are leaving out of BEFORE you get to the airport. Otherwise, you won’t know which exit to take, as they have the gate numbers by exit! If you happen to have an extended layover in Dallas, the DFW Airport has the best layover options in the city of Grapevine! Since it is only 6 miles from DFW, it is the perfect choice for a few hours. It consists of about 6-8 blocks of shops, cafes, and restaurants. The Grapevine Shuttle runs every day from the DFW Airport and you can catch it at terminal D adjacent to the Grand Hyatt DFW valet desk. A day pass will cost you $5 and can be purchased on the shuttle.
Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Maldives
This airport serving Male is one of the few airports in the world that takes up an entire island. I loved my arrival into this airport, as my “taxi” was a luxury ship that took me away to enjoy my stunning beachfront villa at Kurumba! The runway is surrounded on all sides by water and has one of the most beautiful views in the world for an airport!
Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten
This famous Caribbean airport is great for thrill seekers and aviation enthusiast and makes quite a splash at the beach! With the roaring engines and the smell of jet fuel and exhaust, beachgoers are lucky enough to feel like they are in the middle of the action. And passengers coming in fly right over a small strip of the beach! Not a lot of airports get an oceanfront property, but this one does. And there are many tourists standing out there just waiting for that perfect selfie!
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba Island
Saba is a Caribbean island under the jurisdiction of the Netherlands. You may not have even heard of this island because basically, it is dormant volcano. But yes, indeed, they managed to put in an airport with a runway that is the smallest in the entire world at only 1,300-feet long.
Churchill Airport, Canada
There are no roads into Churchill, Manitoba in Canada. Your best bet is via Calm Air, as it only takes two hours to get there from Winnipeg. You can also travel by train, but that same distance takes two days! Book in advance to make sure you have a seat. And even if you book in advance, everything is dependant upon the weather. So many times it is a toss up, as the landing times in and out of this airport are not exact. The airport was originally part of Fort Churchill, a military base built by the United States Armed Forces during the 2nd World War.
So there you have it, eight unique, unusual, and bizarre airports around the world. If you want to book a flight, be sure and go to Travelocity and make your selections. You won’t be disappointed you did!
Now, what is there to eat at an airport? Best Foodie Finds in Airports Around the World
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Wow! Those are some unique airports. Would love to travel to many of those destinations.
Enjoyed reading your post. Of all the airports, two of them sound very interesting. The first one obviously being the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Maldives – it would be such a sight to see runway surrounded by water and the second one that made me want to go now is the Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten as a small strip is over the beach. 🙂
I agree that the Dallas Airport is MASSIVE! I almost missed a flight trying to make a quick connection!
I’ve been to the Belize airport and it was so nice and tropical! I could of had a great time just there! Haaa
Haha how interesting! I haven’t traveled much so I haven’t been to any of these airports, but I have heard about the Princess Juliana International Airport and how close you get to the plane!
Wow you guys get around to many different airports. I haven’t been to any of these airports and probably never will. Have fun in your travels.
Airports are actually really interesting places, thanks for sharing these. Those boarding passes look so cool too!
That airport in the Maldives is so cool. I would love to have a ship as my “taxi” to leave the airport.
I haven’t been to any of these. I’d love to travel more and have the opportunity to see some of these, maybe some day.
How cool are these?! One of my favorite airports is in Memphis, Tennessee. It has a lot of brick architecture and cool artwork painted on the walls, very similar to street art. I always smile whenever I see I’m routed through there. x
Always been my dream to travel extensively however, I can only wish that traveling was free! OMG. These are all awesome and unique airports you’ve been to. Hopefully, I will be able to visit these places in my lifetime.
Your feature of Manila makes me homesick. It’s been years since I last visit my home country.
You have seen so many cool airports. The ones I’ve visited are pretty standard and boring. I would love to see one of these in person.
Some of those look really neat. I have never traveled by plane so haven’t been to an airport before. Sounds interesting.
Wow, the Maldives airport is stunning! I have wanted to visit a few of these places, and just seeing the airports makes me want to go even more!
These all look like some interesting places. I live in DFW, so I’ve been to the DFW airport many times. I didn’t realize people thought it was so massive, lol.