This is a list of the shortest airport runways in the world. While most modern commercial aircraft require a paved runway of at least in length, many early aircraft were designed to operate from unprepared strips that could be improvised in small spaces. Los Angeles's Grand Central Airport, considered a landmark in aviation history, had a 1200feet runway during its first six years of operation from 1923 to 1929.[1] Such airstrips were used by heavy as well as light aircraft. During the Doolittle Raid in WW II, twin-engine B-25 bombers with a loaded weight of seventeen tons took off from the 827feet flight deck of the carrier USS Hornet.[2] As late as 1977, a Lockheed Constellation demonstrated its ability to use the 2700feet runway of the Greenwood Lake Airport in New Jersey,[3] and in 1946, a lightened Constellation took off from a grass strip in 2000feet on only three engines.[4] Most general aviation aircraft retain this short-field performance; the Cessna 172, the most produced aircraft in history, will take off in as little as at Standard Temperature when fully loaded.[5] Many small airfields capable of accommodating these types remain in use, mostly in remote areas in the American West and the French Alps, where space is limited.
| ICAO or FAA code | IATA code | Airport name | Location | Length | Elevation (ft) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (ft) | (m) | |||||
| 1ID9 | Simko Field Airport[6] | Inkom, Idaho, US | 400feet | 5,640 | ||
| Ted Luark Airstrip[7] | Huson, Montana, US | 500feet | 3,500 | |||
| Mile Hi Airstrip[8] | Yellow Pine, Idaho, US | 560feet | 5,831 | |||
| Dewey Moore Airstrip[9] | Big Creek, Idaho, US | 700feet | 4,494 | |||
| James Ranch Airstrip[10] | Warren, Idaho, US | 800feet | 2,117 | |||
| MT94 | Ousel Falls Airport[11] | Big Sky, Montana, US | 900feet | 6,600 | ||
| Simonds Airstrip[12] | Yellow Pine, Idaho, US | 900feet | 5,243 | |||
| ME46 | Back Acres Airport[13] | Kennebunkport, Maine, US | 1000feet | 60 | ||
| 27MT | Rahn Airport[14] | Kalispell, Montana, US | 1000feet | 3,090 | ||
| 5NA0 | Semchenko Airport[15] | Max, North Dakota, US | 1100feet | 2,065 | ||
| Vines Airstrip[16] | Big Creek, Idaho, US | 1100feet | 4,110 | |||
| 4NY8 | Harris Hill Gliderport[17] | Elmira, New York, US | 1115feet | 1,709 | ||
| LFJD | Corlier Aerodrome | Corlier, France | 1148feet | 2,762 | ||
| WA39 | Crow Valley Airport[18] [19] | Eastsound, Washington, US | 1171feet | 113 | ||
| 3NA2 | Lorentzen Airport[20] | Washburn, North Dakota, US | 1200feet | 1,790 | ||
| Red Creek Airstrip[21] | Payson, Arizona, US | 1200feet | 2,400 | |||
| MT42 | Hasskamp Airport[22] | Three Forks, Montana, US | 1225feet | 4,052 | ||
| 89OR | Mucky Flat Airport[23] | Eagle Point, Oregon, US | 1250feet | 2,000 | ||
| FOA | Foula Airfield | Foula, Shetland Islands, UK | 1252feet | 150 | ||
| EGNF | Netherthorpe Airfield | Worksop, England, UK | 1253feet | 254 | ||
| 26OG | Oakridge Airport[24] | Eagle Point, Oregon, US | 1275feet | 1,560 | ||
| 08ND | Brecht Strip[25] | Golden Valley, North Dakota, US | 1300feet | 1,990 | ||
| 30MT | Nistler Strip[26] | Helena, Montana, US | 1304feet | 4,753 | ||
| TNCS | SAB | Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport[27] | Saba | 1312feet | 138 | |
| LSZO | Luzern-Beromünster | Neudorf, Lucerne, Switzerland | 1312feet | 2,146 | ||
| FXME | Matekane Air Strip[28] | Matekane, Lesotho | 1312feet | 7,544 | ||
| 2NA0 | Soderquist Airport[29] | Wilton, North Dakota, US | 1320feet | 1,880 | ||
| LFKX | Méribel Altiport[30] | Les Allues, France | 1332feet | 5,639 | ||
| EDMJ | Jesenwang Airport[31] | Jesenwang, Germany | 1339feet | 1,861 | ||
| NV31 | Barker Creek Ranch Airstrip[32] | Round Mountain, Nevada, US | 1350feet | 6,600 | ||
| EICN | Coonagh Aerodrome[33] | Limerick, Ireland | 1365feet | 6 | ||
| ID13 | Sky Island Ranch Airport[34] | St. Maries, Idaho, US | 1400feet | 2,880 | ||
| 40MT | Silver Creek Airport[35] | Helena, Montana, US | 1400feet | 3,860 | ||
| N61 | Hinshaw (Greenacres) Airport[36] | Liberty, North Carolina, US | 1400feet | 750 | ||
| OG13 | Fly by Night Airport[37] | Ruch, Oregon, US | 1402feet | 1,660 | ||
| LFHM | MVV | Megève Altiport | Megève, France | 1424feet | 4,830 | |
| Flugplatz Locher Sarntal | Locher, Italy | 1434feet | 2,608 | |||
| MT06 | Duncan Airport[38] | Helena, Montana, US | 1467feet | 4,260 | ||
| WA93 | Eliza Island Airport[39] [40] | Eliza Island, Washington, US | 1500feet | 8 | ||
| LFHU | AHZ | Alpe d'Huez Airport | Alpe d'Huez, France | 1500feet | 6,102 | |
| 84OR | B Bar Ranch Airport[41] | Selma, Oregon, US | 1500feet | 1,400 | ||
| 0MT9 | Lone Hawk Airport[42] | Whitefish, Montana, US | 1500feet | 3,284 | ||
| MT83 | Ten Mile Airport[43] | Helena, Montana, US | 1500feet | 4,294 | ||
| PAMD | MDO | Middleton Island Airport | Middleton Island, Alaska, US | 1500feet | 100 | |
| C48 | Wilson Bar Airstrip[44] [45] | Warren, Idaho, US | 1500feet | 2,275 | ||
| 2WA3 | Stuart Island West[46] [47] | Stuart Island, Washington | 1560feet | 200 | ||
| EDXH | HGL | Heligoland, Germany | 1575feet | 5 | ||
| 78WA | Center Island Airport[48] [49] | Center Island (Washington) | 1600feet | 115 | ||
| CD02 | Skyote Airport[50] | Steamboat Springs, Colorado, US | 1600feet | 8,200 | ||
| VNDT | SIH | Doti Airport | Dipayal Silgadhi, Nepal | 1608feet | 650 | |
| LSPV | Wangen-Lachen Airport | Wangen, SZ, Switzerland | 1,640 | 500 | 1,335 | |
| TAPH | BBQ | Barbuda Codrington Airport[51] | Codrington, Barbuda | 1640feet | 15 | |
| EFHL | Hailuoto Airfield[52] | Hailuoto, Finland | 1640feet | 7 | ||
| 85U | Soldier Bar Airstrip[53] | Big Creek, Idaho, US | 1650feet | 4,190 | ||
| EDXP | Harle Airfield | Harlesiel, Lower Saxony, Germany | 1673feet | 7 | ||
| CYGZ | YGZ | Grise Fiord Airport | Grise Fiord, Nunavut, Canada | 1675feet | 135 | |
| EGER | SOY | Stronsay Airport | Stronsay, Orkney, UK | 1690feet | 39 | |
| 0OR5 | East Oregon Cattle Company Airport[54] | Eagle Point, Oregon, US | 1700feet | 1,345 | ||
| NA12 | Johnson Private Airport[55] | Turtle Lake, North Dakota, US | 1700feet | 1,920 | ||
| EGHE | ISC | St Mary's Airport, Isles of Scilly[56] | Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom | 1722feet | 116 | |
| 23MT | Waterfall Airport[57] | Bozeman, Montana, US | 1725feet | 4,950 | ||
| VNLK | LUA | Tenzing–Hillary Airport[58] | Lukla, Nepal | 1729feet | 9,334 | |
| EGEN | NRL | North Ronaldsay Airport | North Ronaldsay, Orkney, UK | 1729feet | 56 | |
| EGEP | PPW | Papa Westray Airport | Papa Westray Airport, Orkney, UK | 1729feet | 91 | |
| EGES | NDY | Sanday Airport | Scotland, Orkney, UK | 1729feet | 66 | |
| EGEW | WRY | Westray Airport | Westray, Orkney, UK | 1729feet | 29 | |
| 13W | Camano Island Airfield [59] [60] [61] | Stanwood, Washington, US | 1750feet | 145 | ||
| 5S4 | Toledo State Airport [62] [63] | Newport, Oregon, US | 1750feet | 12 | ||
| I08 | Cabin Creek Airstrip[64] | Big Creek, Idaho, US | 1750feet | 4,289 | ||
| CD20 | Sprague Airport[65] | Loveland, Colorado, US | 1750feet | 5,603 | ||
| LFLJ | CVF | Courchevel Altiport[66] | Courchevel, France | 1762feet | 6,588 | |
| EGEF | FIE | Fair Isle Airport[67] | Shetland, United Kingdom | 1762feet | 237 | |
| CKU | CKU | Cordova Municipal Airport[68] [69] | Cordova, Alaska, US | 1800feet | 12 | |
| 3B8 | Shady Acres Airport[70] [71] | Spanaway, Washington, US | 1800feet | 445 | ||
| KCZK | Cascade Locks State[72] | Cascade Locks, Oregon, US | 1800feet | 151 | ||
| 8S2 | Cashmere Dryden[73] | Cashmere, Washington, US | 1800feet | 857 | ||
| CPL3 | Kars/Rideau Valley Air Park | Kars, Ontario, Canada | 1800feet | 286 | ||
| CAH3 | Courtenay Airpark[74] | Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada | 1800feet | 9 | ||
| 16CO | Dry Pen Airport[75] | Parachute, Colorado, US | 1800feet | 5,331 | ||
| MT71 | Edsall Field[76] | Bozeman, Montana, US | 1800feet | 4,659 | ||
| 34CD | Elk Park Ranch Airport[77] | Allenspark, Colorado, US | 1800feet | 7,900 | ||
| 31D | Inter County Airport[78] | Irwin, Pennsylvania, US | 1800feet | 1,250 | ||
| HI23 | Mountain View Airstrip[79] | Mountain View, Hawaii, US | 1800feet | 1,500 | ||
| 10ND | Smith Strip[80] | Halliday, North Dakota, US | 1800feet | 2,200 | ||
| 1MT3 | Wood Strip[81] | Elliston, Montana, US | 1800feet | 5,100 | ||
| 1I8 | Converse[82] | Converse, Indiana, US | 1800feet | 840 | ||
| NZUK | TWZ | Pukaki Airport | Twizel, New Zealand | 1804feet | 1,575 | |
| 39P | Strom Field Airport[83] | Morton, Washington, US | 1810feet | 941 | ||
| 2W2 | Clearview Airpark[84] | Westminster, Maryland, US | 1840feet | 760 | ||
| WN13 | Vaughan Ranch Airfield[85] | Port Orchard, Washington, US | 1850feet | 240 | ||
| KPFC | Pacific City State Airport[86] [87] [88] | Pacific City, Oregon, US | 1860feet | 10 | ||
| YOBR | Old Bar Heritage Airport[89] | Old Bar, New South Wales | 1944feet | 10 | ||
| N43 | Braden Airpark[90] | Easton, Pennsylvania, US | 1956feet | 399 | ||
| 9CL3 | Likely Airport[91] | Likely, California, US | 1960feet | 4,420 | ||
| TRPG | MNI | John A. Osborne Airport[92] | Montserrat | 1968feet | 550 | |
| EDWL | Langeoog Airfield | Langeoog, Germany | 1968feet | 5 | ||
