Some of the world’s biggest airports often have runways measuring 9,842 to 12,123ft to accommodate aircraft as big as the A380. Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, has two runways, measuring 12,802 and 12,001 each. However, dotted across the world, are also some much smaller airports.
Among them, tucked on the edge of a tiny island in the Caribbean, which covers just five square miles, is what is widely considered to be the world’s smallest airport, home to a runway measuring just 1,312ft (400 metres) – almost 10 times smaller the Heathrow. Saba Island, together with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius, from the BES islands, is also known as the Caribbean Netherlands. It largely consists of a dormant volcano, Mount Scenery, which at over 2,800ft is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. Because of this landscape, the only option was to build its airport, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, right on its edge.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is flanked on one side by high hills, with cliffs that drop into the sea at both ends. Given the length of the runway, it’s not surprising that very few of the modern passenger jets are able to land here. Instead, the airport typically serves small aircraft like the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, which typically seat between 18 and 20 passengers, due to their STOL (short takeoff and landing) capabilities.
Crucially, the airport is closed to jet traffic. Only regional airline propeller aircraft that have been issued a waiver from the Netherlands Antilles Civil Aviation Authority can land there.
A small ramp and terminal are on the southwest flank of the runway, and there is also a designated helipad. Inside the terminal are offices for Winair, immigration and security, a fire department with one fire truck and a tower. This tower, however, is an advisory service only and does not provide air traffic control. Aviation fuel is also not available on the island.
The only airline that currently provides scheduled services to and from Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is locally owned Winair, which operates daily flights to Sint Maarten aboard a DHC-6 Twin Otter, flights which last around 15 minutes.
Saba Island itself is home to just under 2,200 people, with a population density of 380 inhabitants per square mile. It is the smallest territory by permanent population in the Americas. It has only a handful of settlements, including The Bottom (the capital), Windwardside, Zion’s Hill and St. Johns.
At the other end of the scale, Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport (ULY) in Russia, boasts the longest public use runway in the world at 16,000ft. It is tied with Shigatse Peace Airport in China. Ulyanovsk Vostochny is also the widest runway, with a total width of 344ft. This air hub is mainly a cargo airport.