There are five countries in Europe that do not have a single airport. Moreover, some of them are smaller in area than any modern airport.
It is incredible, but there are countries (and not those lost in the oceans on tiny atoll islands) that, for various reasons, objective and not so objective, have made a choice and preferred to remain in the 21st century without airports on their territory. Some refer to the fact that they are too small and densely populated, others – that their geographical features do not allow for the construction of more or less full-fledged runways and passenger terminals. Therefore, in terms of air traffic, both have resigned themselves to the fact that they are entirely dependent on their “neighbors”.
European countries without airports: Vatican, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Andorra
The justification is quite real, but there are also opposite examples on the planet, when the “neighbors” are so far away that you have to make do yourself. So runways appear, literally squeezed into the terrain, when on one side there are very high mountains, and on the other – a deep abyss. And nothing, they fly!
Let’s start with countries that have never had their own airports.
The city-states of Vatican City and Monaco
The two countries, two city-states, that have no airports are the Vatican, located inside Rome in Italy, and Monaco on the southern coast of France. To build an aviation infrastructure there would require the demolition of many buildings and even the destruction of the Monaco waterfront.
Vatican
The Vatican has a population of just 800 people and an area of just 0.44 square kilometers. For comparison, New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport covers an area of 21 square kilometers, including 3.5 square kilometers in the Central Terminal area. Even the very compact London City Airport in the center of the British capital is over 0.6 square kilometers.
The Vatican’s territory is 965 by 804 meters, which is not enough to fit a 1.5 km long runway inside. The closest airports to the Vatican are in Rome: Ciampino and Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci.
Monaco
Monaco is the second smallest country in the world after the Vatican. Monaco has a population of 38,000 people in an area of 2 square kilometers. In fact, the entire country fits into half of a small city, the other half of which belongs to France. People traveling to Monaco usually use the French airport of Nice on the Côte d’Azur.
Mountain microstates
Three other European countries also lack airports: Liechtenstein, San Marino and Andorra. Not only are they small, but they are also mountainous. Although Liechtenstein has flat areas, and if desired, it could afford its own runway.
San Marino
San Marino is indeed a hilly country , and the recognized gateway to the country is the coastal Italian city of Rimini and its Federico Fellini International Airport, just 16 km away. There are regular buses from Rimini train station to San Marino.
San Marino has a twin brother. It’s the Greek island of Skiathos in the Aegean Sea. Well, there’s an airport there, the Greeks manage quite well.
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is another curious tiny country, located between Austria and Switzerland in the European Alps on the right bank of the Rhine River. Close relations with Switzerland are explained by the fact that Switzerland is responsible for the defense of the principality and other important issues. Interestingly, Liechtenstein is the only full member of the United Nations that has not signed the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Swiss signed the document for Liechtenstein.
Airports close to Liechtenstein include the small Swiss airport St. Gallen in Altenrhein, which serves only domestic flights, and the German airport Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constance.
The distance to Zurich International Airport is about 75 km.
Andorra
The Principality of Andorra is the largest of the European microstates that does not have its own airport. It has a population of 77,000 people living on an area of 468 square kilometers. The country is located in the heart of the Pyrenees, between France and Spain, and this is the decisive factor – all attempts to build an airport there have been deemed impractical.
The local Chamber of Commerce has repeatedly announced a “three-tier development plan” that includes a railway connection, the development of internal infrastructure and the creation of a national airport. Numerous feasibility studies and assessments have been carried out, but the Andorran Aeronautical Authority (AAA) has concluded that “the numerous limitations and safety of the project are questionable.” So, this issue is effectively a dead end. At least for now.
However, formally Andorra does have its own airport. This is Andorra la Seu d’Urgell, a 30-40 minute drive from the capital and main city of Andorra la Vella. However, it is located on the other side of the border with Spain. This air harbor is the base for the “virtual” airline Andorra Airlines – it has no planes and nothing to fly on.
Andorra is visited by over eight million people annually. The main airports from which people arrive in Andorra are located in Barcelona and Girona in Spain and Toulouse in France. Getting to the country’s resorts from Barcelona or Toulouse takes about two and a half hours – not a very suitable option for tourists planning a short trip.
The situation could be improved by the emergence of an “air taxi” based on electric vertical takeoff aircraft (EVTOL), but the process of their creation and certification could take a significant amount of time.