Traveling the world has never been easier than it is in the 21st century. Still, knowing your international airports can make your journey smoother and safer.
Almost every single country in the world has at least one international airport. In fact, out of the total of 159 official countries that exist, only five do not have an international airport. Those five countries are Andorra, Liechtenstein, Vatican City, Monaco, and San Marino.
Read on to learn more about international airports, including the countries that don’t have them and how many there are. I’ll also tell you which are the biggest and the best!
Which Countries Is International Airports In?
Almost every country in the world has at least one International airport. In fact, many have more than one. For example, the USA has about 150 of them, India has 34, and Germany has 16. Regardless of where you want to go, there’s an international airport nearby for you to fly into.
What Is an International Airport?
International airports are usually large airports that receive flights from other countries worldwide. This differs from domestic and local airports, which only allow travel within a single country, state, or region.
International airports are generally larger than other airports and employ customs and border control services that monitor and regulate the exchange of goods between countries.
If you fly out of your home country, you’ll want to be prepared for customs and border control!
What Are Airport Customs and Border Control?
When you fly into or out of any country, you must go through customs and immigration. Doing so requires that you have your travel documents and luggage checked by airport security or Border Control officers.
They’ll ask you a few simple questions about where you’re visiting and why, how long you’re staying, and where you’ll be staying.
If your documents are in order, and you’re allowed entry, you’ll need to declare any goods you’ve brought in your luggage, whether you got them from home or purchased them abroad. If your bags are checked, and you have restricted goods you didn’t declare, the airline officials may take the goods from you, and/or you may have to pay fines. For this reason, you must review customs regulations before you fly.
For more information on airports, air travel, and U.S. tourism, check out my other travel-related articles.
Does Every Country Have an International Airport?
Not every country has an International airport. However, most do. The only countries that don’t have international airports are tiny, and either don’t need an airport or have no space for one. Luckily, those small countries are accessible from international airports in neighboring countries.
Which Country Doesn’t Have an International Airport?
The countries that don’t have their own international airports include Andorra, Vatican City, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino. They usually don’t have international airports because they’re so small.
Here’s a breakdown of each country and its size.
- Andorra, officially The Principality of Andorra, is located between Spain and France and has an area of approximately 291 square miles (468 sq km).
- Vatican City (Holy See), located in Rome, is the smallest sovereign country in the world, with an area of only 0.17 square miles (0.44 sq km).
- Liechtenstein, officially The Principality of Liechtenstein, is located between Austria and Switzerland and has an area of about 62 square miles (160 sq km).
- Monaco, officially The Principality of Monaco, is located on the southern coast of France and has an area of 0.76 square miles (1.98 sq km)
- San Marino, or the Republic of San Marino, is located in North-east Italy and has an area of about 38 square miles (61 sq km).
How Many International Airports Are There in the World?
There are approximately 1,450 international airports worldwide. The United States has the most, but even smaller countries can have more than one. If there isn’t an airport in the country of your destination, there will be one in a nearby country that is close.
For example, if you wish to visit Vatican City, you would fly into Rome Fiumicino Airport and take a 35-minute taxi ride to the gates of the Holy See.
What Are the Biggest International Airports in the World?
There are two ways to measure the biggest airports in the world. First, by land area, and second, by passenger traffic.
The Top Five Biggest Airports by Land Area
The world’s biggest airports include the following:
- King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia is the largest International airport at almost 300 square miles (776 sq km).
- Denver International Airport in Colorado, USA, is the second largest at over 53 square miles in area (135.7 sq km).
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, USA, comes in at number three with an area of almost 27 square miles (69.6 sq km).
- Orlando International Airport in Florida, USA, is number four at almost 21 square miles (53.8 sq km).
- Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C., USA, is number five at just under 19 square miles (48.6 sq km).
The Top Five Biggest International Airports by Passenger Traffic
Here are passenger statistics from the year 2021 for the top five highest-traffic international airports:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport served over 75 million passengers.
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas served over 62.4 million passengers.
- Denver International Airport served 58.8 million passengers.
- Chicago International Airport served over 54 million passengers.
- Los Angeles International Airport served over 48 million passengers.
Now that you know the biggest and busiest international airports in the world, I bet you’re wondering which are the best to travel through.
What Are the Best International Airports in the World?
The following top ten best international airports were judged by their beauty and luxury according to passenger votes in 2022. If you can fly through one on your travels, you won’t regret it!
- Doha Hamad International Airport, Qatar
- Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Japan
- Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore
- Tokyo Narita Airport, Japan
- Seoul Incheon International Airport, South Korea
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
- Munich International Airport, Germany
- Istanbul International Airport, Turkey
- Zurich Airport, Switzerland
- Kansai International Airport, Japan
Conclusion
Almost every country in the world has an international airport, except the five smallest countries.
There are approximately 1,450 international airports currently in operation across the planet. Most of the largest and busiest ones are in the USA. However, some of the most beautiful and luxurious international airports are in Qatar, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Europe.
