14 of the Coolest and Most Unique Airports in the World

Airports are often taken for granted. Yes, their primary purpose is to get you from point A to point B — but that doesn’t mean you should walk in and out of their terminals without a second thought! 

If you stop and look around, you’ll notice that many airports have been designed to enhance the travel experience. While some are in truly breathtaking destinations, others boast some stunning architectural features. And then there are the airports, runways and terminals that you need to see to believe. Curious to know what we mean? 

Keep reading to discover 14 of the coolest and most unique airports in the world, and what makes each one extraordinary.

• Dramatic approaches: Airports with the shortest and most challenging runways
• Architectural and design marvels: Airports as works of art
• Location oddities: Airports built in seemingly inconvenient places

Takeoffs and landings at these airports can be a bit distressing for some, but hey, it's all about the journey... right?

Named after the first summiteers of Mount Everest, Tenzing-Hillary Airport (aka Lukla Airport) in Nepal sits at approximately 2,900m above sea level with a runway that ends at a cliff edge. The approach requires threading through mountain valleys in often-turbulent air. It's the gateway to the Everest region and is frequently cited as the world's most dangerous commercial airport.
 

One of the most dramatic approaches in aviation. Courchevel Altiport’s runway is carved into the side of the French Alps, has a steep uphill gradient and ends on a sheer cliff. Pilots require special certification to land here, and the experience will cost you a pretty penny — this France airport only accommodates private jets and helicopters, not commercial airlines.

Saba’s Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport has the shortest commercial runway in the world, measuring just 400m long. Perched on a cliff above the Caribbean, only small propeller aircraft can operate here and the approach from the ocean is hair-raising.

A grass strip on a mountain plateau that ends at a 600m drop into a valley. Pilots landing at this airport in Lesotho must be committed: there's no going around once you're on approach. It’s stunning, terrifying and utterly unlike any other airfield on earth.

It’s not unusual for planes to fly directly over a public beach, but the aircraft arriving at and departing from Princess Juliana International Airport take this to the extreme. Planes fly so low over Maho Beach that people are routinely knocked off their feet by jet blast. The airport has made St. Maarten one of the most photographed aviation destinations in the world.
 

The runway at Madeira Airport in Portugal extends over the ocean on a platform that’s supported by 180 massive concrete pillars! It’s longer than some of the others mentioned but still challenges pilots’ skills and passengers’ stomachs. The crosswinds over the Atlantic makes it one of Europe's more demanding, most turbulent approaches.

Are you one of those travellers who avoids multi-stop flights and layovers at all costs? These beautiful airport terminals might convince you to change your ways.

Qatar Airways' home base in Doha is a statement of intent. The terminal — all soaring curves, natural light and the giant yellow teddy bear sculpture by Urs Fischer in the departure hall — makes most international airports feel like bus stations. No wonder it’s regularly rated among the world's best.
 

Built entirely on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, Kansai International Airport sits on a floating structure engineered to withstand earthquakes and typhoons. The terminal building — a single 1.7km-long structure designed by Renzo Piano — is as remarkable as its foundation.

The jewel in Singapore's aviation crown. Changi has butterfly gardens, a rooftop swimming pool, a movie theatre and Jewel Changi — a glass-and-steel nature complex with a 40m indoor waterfall at its heart. It has been voted as the world's best airport more times than any other. Getting connecting flights here is genuinely enjoyable.

You can learn a lot about Vancouver’s art and culture simply by visiting the airport. Indigenous works, including “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe” sculpture by acclaimed artist Bill Reid, are displayed pretty much everywhere. There are also aquariums, atriums, rivers and tidal pools just waiting to be discovered. 

Beaches, public roads and golf courses may not be the first places you’d think to build a runway, but these airports somehow make it work.

The runway at Gibraltar International Airport crosses Winston Churchill Avenue — a public road that closes to traffic when aircraft land and take off. Vehicles and pedestrians are stopped at railroad-style crossings, allowing everyone to enjoy a bit of planespotting on their daily commute. Backdropped by the famous Rock of Gibraltar, it’s an incredible sight.

Located on the small island of Barra in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, this is the only airport in the world that uses a beach as its runway. While the approach over the Scottish coast is spectacular, flight times are limited; takeoffs and landings are only possible at low tide when the runways are not submerged under water.
 

Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok shares its grounds with the Royal Thai Air Force base and — more remarkably — a full-size golf course. The fairways run between the runways and taxiways, meaning golfers must play around active aircraft operations.

One of the northernmost commercial airports on earth, Svalbard Airport services the town of Longyearbyen, Norway, which sits 1,300km inside the Arctic Circle. The landscape — made up of tundra, glaciers and Arctic light — makes it feel as if you’re arriving on another planet.

The world's most extraordinary airports are proof that the journey really can be as memorable as the destination. Whether you're lining up for a cliff-edge approach in the Caribbean or watching the tide tables to know when your Hebridean flight departs, these airports turn the functional into the unforgettable. 

Ready to plan a trip that includes one of these extraordinary aviation experiences? Chat with a Flight Centre Travel Expert today!