Top 5 countries that have no airports

It will shock you to know that in this 21st century, there are countries that have no airports. For many people, air travel is the best mode of transportation, especially for long-distance travel. This is due to the short duration of time that is required to travel from one place to another. With air travel, a 10-hour distance can be shortened to just hours.

However, some countries have shown they can exist perfectly fine without owning an airport. Let us take a look at the top five countries that have no airports.

Table of Content hide 1Top 5 countries that have no airports 1.15. Monaco 1.24. San Marino 1.33. Andorra 1.42. Liechtenstein 1.51. Vatican City

Top 5 countries that have no airports

5. Monaco

The Principality of Monaco is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera, a few kilometres west of the Liguria region in Italy. Located on the Mediterranean Sea in Western Europe, Monaco has one of the most luxurious tourist resorts in the world. With these qualities, one would think the country would have an airport to make tourism easier and more enjoyable.

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However, there are no airports in Monaco. A search for an airport in the country will bring up Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, which is located in Nice, France.

Monaco’s common modes of transportation are via railways running along the French coast, its large harbour receiving many of its goods, and by car along rather bendy roads.

Apart from the country’s proximity to France, Monaco is simply too small to have an airport, with a population of less than 40,000 and an area of barely 2 km2. In addition, its borders total only six kilometres, with a length of only three kilometres. However, this is not a problem as the government has signed an agreement with the neighbouring city of Nice, France, which is 30 minutes away by car and slightly more than five minutes by helicopter. But it is not a cheap way to reach the sovereign city-state as many have to end their air travel and complete the journey by road.

4. San Marino

San Marino is one of the world’s oldest republics. It is, however, the fifth smallest country in the world, covering a land area of just over 61 km2 (23+1⁄2 sq mi) and has a population of an estimated 33,562 people. San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is a micro-state and landlocked. However, its northeastern end is within 10 kilometres (six miles) of the Italian city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast.

The country has no airport, with the nearest airport, Federico Fellini International Airport also located in Rimini, Italy. Luckily, the land in San Marino is flat, making travelling within the small country easy. The airports of Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Venice are close by and a lot of travellers fly these routes to reach the country.

One thing to note is that San Marino does have one private airstrip in Torraccia and an international heliport located in Borgo Maggiore.

3. Andorra

The Principality of Andorra is a sovereign landlocked country and microstate on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees. The country shares borders with France to the north and Spain to the south. Andorra is the sixth smallest country in Europe, the world’s 16th-smallest country by land and 11th-smallest by population, with an area of 468 square kilometres (181 sq mi) and a population of approximately 79,034. The people are a Romance ethnic group, originally of Catalonian descent.

Andorra is ruled by two co-princes: the bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain, and the French President. The country’s capital and largest city is Andorra la Vella.

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Andorra has no airport due to the mountains that surround the country. With mountains peaking close to 3 000 metres and several valleys, it is difficult and dangerous to build an airport. Therefore, the nearest airport is Andorra-La Seu Airport, near Seu d’Urgell, located some 30 kilometres down the N-260 road, in Catalonia, Spain.

There are, however, heliports in La Massana (Camí Heliport), Arinsal and Escaldes-Engordany offering commercial helicopter services

If you want to visit via another route,  you have to travel through cities such as Lérida, Tarragona, Barcelona or Girona. Andorra may be isolated, but the views and skiing adventure are worth the trip.

2. Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a German-speaking and doubly landlocked country and microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is also the sixth smallest country in the world, with an area of just over 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and a population of 38,749. The country is made up of 11 municipalities, with Vaduz as its capital.

Liechtenstein operates a semi-constitutional monarchy headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. The country has also been ranked as one of the highest gross domestic products per person in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity.

However, there are no airports as there is simply no space for them. Building an airport in the country means encroaching on the borders of Switzerland in the east and the mountains of Austria in the west. To avoid these diplomatic issues, travellers have to use bus or car routes to reach Zürich Airport, about 120 km away.

1. Vatican City

Vatican City State is the smallest country in the world, with an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and a 2019 population of about 453 people. The country is also landlocked but an independent city-state, microstate, and enclave within Rome, Italy. The country is also the home of the Roman Catholic Church and is governed by the Pope.

Vatican City is in the centre of Rome and there is no airport, excluding St Peter’s Square, where a light aircraft could land if it was very careful. In other words, there is no space to build an airport in the landlocked country and the closest access is travelling by foot. However, its isolation is compensated by the other airports that surround it, which include airports in Fiumicino and Ciampino, less than 30 minutes away by train.

You can also enter the country through rail links with Pisa, Naples and Florence. Unfortunately, none of these routes reaches Vatican City directly as the country has no railways or bus stations either. If you are travelling by air, you have to go through the underground hub or charter a taxi upon your arrival at one of the aforementioned cities’ airports.

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