OAG Travel News

I recently took a day off from work to spend some time in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.  As I was snowshoeing along Vail Pass – an elevation of close to 11,000 feet (3,353 meters) – my thoughts naturally turned to high-elevation airports.  Living and working in Colorado at an airport with a relatively high elevation (5,431 feet/1,655 meters) I am aware of how altitude affects aircraft performance and wanted to learn more about high-elevation airports around the world and their levels of air service.

High-Elevation Airports
Qamdo Bangda Airport (BPX) – Bangda, Tibet, China
- Highest airport in the world with scheduled commercial service
- 14,219 feet (4,334 meters)
- Current air service includes Air China to Chengdu and Lhasa

El Alto International Airport (LPB) – La Paz, Bolivia
- 13,323 feet (4,061 meters)
- Seven airlines provide nonstop service to nine cities in South America

Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) – Cuzco, Peru
- 10,860 feet (3,110 meters)
- Four airlines provide nonstop service to six destinations – four cities in Peru, one in Chile and one in Bolivia

Telluride Regional Airport (TEX) - Telluride, Colorado, U.S.
- Highest airport in the U.S. with scheduled commercial service
- 9,078 feet (2,767 meters)
- Current air service includes Great Lakes to Denver and US Airways to Phoenix

Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (TLC) – Toluca, Mexico
- Higher than nearby Mexico City (Benito Juarez) International Airport
- 8,466 feet (2,580 meters)
- Three airlines provides nonstop service to 22 destinations
- Primary airport for Mexican low-cost carriers Interjet and Volaris

As I researched high-elevation airports, I also took some time to examine the opposite end of the spectrum – low-elevation airports.  One of the world’s busiest airports is also one of the world’s lowest airports.  The elevation of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in the Netherlands is -11 feet (-3.4 meters) – the airport is officially below sea level.  Not surprisingly, the commercial airport with the lowest elevation in the U.S. is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) – four feet (1.2 meters) above sea level.  New Orleans currently enjoys nonstop service by nine airlines to over 30 destinations.

Here’s hoping you have many more highs than lows in 2009… Happy New Year!

Source: Official Airline Guide (OAG) Schedule Tapes; Air Transport International; Aviation Safety Network; AirNav.com; airport Web sites; schedules examined for December 2008 only.

Note: The airports examined in this article are not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of high- and low-elevation airports; several airports were chosen as examples for purposes of examination in this article; examination is limited to airports with scheduled commercial air service.

OAG contributor Laura Jackson was just two weeks old when she took her first flight on Piedmont Airlines.  In junior high school, she developed a business plan for her own airline.  Today she manages strategy and policy issues at one of the world's busiest airports and provides original content and aviation industry analysis for OAG.