Summary

• Westray and Papa Westray airports in Scotland have the shortest runways, measuring 291 meters and 250 meters, respectively.
• Loganair operates the world's shortest commercial flight between Westray and Papa Westray, lasting just two minutes.
• Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the island of Saba has the shortest commercially used runway, measuring 400 meters.

The average traveler has grown accustomed to the several minutes it takes a commercial aircraft to travel from the gate to the runway. This taxi period is a product of the incredible size and complexity of modern airports, which can have runways many kilometers in length.

But at the other end of the spectrum, there are some commercial airports with extremely short runways. In this article, we will take a closer look at some airports with the shortest landing strips used by commercial flights.

Westray and Papa Westray, Scotland

It is worth noting that sources on runway length don't always match up. In any case, looking at data from the likes of SkyVector, Airport Technology, and samchui.com, we observe that a pair of Scottish airports are often at the top of the pile. The facilities in question are Westray (WRY) and neighboring Papa Westray (PPW).

Data from SkyVector shows that the shortest runway at the former of these airports, with the headings 01/19, is just 291 meters long. Impressively, its neighboring facility at Papa Westray reportedly boasts an even shorter strip, with its runway 07/25 measuring just 250 meters in length. This is 22 times shorter than the world's longest commercial runway, which can be found at China's Qamdo Bamda Airport (BPX).

As well as having some of the shortest runways, Westray and Papa Westray are also the two airports connected by the world's shortest commercial flight. Operated by Loganair this 2.8 km (1.7 miles) hop is scheduled to last just two minutes.

While this fight may seem like an oddity, the connection is a crucial airbridge between these two remote Scottish Islands and the rest of the Orkney Islands, as the service connects to the island chain's largest town, Kirkwall. Many such flights exist across the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands, the three major inhabited archipelagos in the North Sea. Most of these connections, including the flight between Westray and Papa Westray, are subsidized by the government as public service obligations.

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba

Another facility widely revered among aviation enthusiasts for having a short runway is Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. While its runway 12/30 is somewhat longer than the aforementioned Scottish airports, at 400 meters in length, this is its only official landing strip.

As such, there is a case to say that Saba has the world's shortest commercially-used runway in terms of single-strip airports. In any case, its clifftop location makes for a spectacular sight, much like the extremely low approaches over Maho Beach made by flights landing at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in nearby Dutch Sint Maarten.

Winair is the only scheduled user of the facility on Saba, although various charter operators also connect Saba with neighboring islands. It saw its first landing in February 1959, a feat reportedly witnessed by almost all of Saba's residents.

Heligoland, Germany

Heligoland Airport (HGL) serves the German archipelago of the same name, another island chain in the North Sea, and is located on the island of Düne. This facility has three runways, of which the shortest (06/24) is just 258 meters long. However, this is not used as frequently as the main landing strip (15/33), which clocks in at 480 meters in length.

This 480-meter-long runway was previously just 400 meters in length before being extended in the mid-2000s to comply with regulations. Regional carrier Ostfriesischer-Flug-Dienst serves two destinations from Heligoland today, using Britten Norman Islanders.

However, the Hamburger Abendblatt notes that, in March 1974, a Lufthansa Boeing 737 made an audacious missed approach at the airport. Typically, the twin-engine narrowbody jet requires nearly 6,000 feet of runway to land.

Lukla, Nepal

One of the most famous short runways in the world is at Tenzing–Hillary Airport (LUA) in Lukla, Nepal. Measuring 527 meters long, it has a steep incline of 11.7% and wasn't paved until 2001. It is popular with people climbing Mount Everest, as it is well located as a starting point for those making the journey to the mountain's base camp.

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Much like other airports high up in the Himalayas, such as Paro International Airport (PBH), LUA is extremely challenging to land at. Thus, approaches are dangerous and can only be attempted under optimal conditions.

Variable conditions lead the airport to operate on a rather unique schedule. In the morning, the wind typically comes towards the airport from the northeast and changes to the southwest by the evening. During the middle of the day, however, this creates challenging cross-wind conditions that often require the facility to shut down for hours at a time.

What's the shortest runway you've ever taken off from or landed on? Have you ever flown to or from any of these airports? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!