Here are some interesting facts on Airports:
- What are the synonyms for “airport”? Aerodrome, airdrome, airstrip, airbase, airfield.
- Which is the oldest airport in the world? The College Park Airport, established in 1909 by Wilbur Wright (Wright Brothers). It is located at the city of College Park, Prince Georges County in the state of Maryland, USA. The airport goes by the IATA code CGS. CGS is also the oldest serving airport in the world.
- How many airports are there in the world? There is no single authority which maintains records or certifies the existence of airfields or airports in the world. Total number of airports in the world is estimated to be over 50,000. This estimate is based on the number of controlled/managed/reported airstrips and airfields in the world. This is definitely not the number of airports that run scheduled/daily flights.
- Which airport has the longest runway in the world? The Bamda Airport, official name – Qamdo Bangda Airport, IATA code BPX, is considered to be the longest runway in the world. The runway length of 18,045 feet facilitates the safest possible landing from very high altitudes. The airport is located at the Qamdo county in the state of Tibet/ Xīzàng, People’s Republic of China.
- Which airport has the shortest runway in the world? Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (IATA code SAB) has the shortest runway, only 1,300 feet. The airport is located in the Caribbean island of Saba, an island territory of the Kingdom of The Netherlands. The airport has no scheduled arrivals and departures. Propeller aircraft with special permission land and take-off from this airport.
- Which airport is perceived to be the most dangerous in the world? The Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (IATA code SAB) is perceived to be the most dangerous airport in the world. However, despite its reputation of having the “toughest to negotiate” landing, the airport has never seen any accident!
- Which is the highest-altitude airport? The Qamdo Bangda Airport at Qamdo county in the state of Tibet/ Xīzàng, People’s Republic of China, at 14,219 feet, is the highest-existing airport in the world. Work is under progress in China on an airport which is at higher altitude than Qamdo Bamda.
We are researching for correct answers to 23 more questions. Please come back by end of May for an update.