Highest Airports in the World by Elevation

About This Dataset

This chart ranks the world's highest airports by elevation above sea level, measured in meters. Building and operating airports at extreme altitude poses major challenges, as thinner air reduces engine performance and lift, requiring longer runways and special procedures. Almost all of the highest airports are located on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Andes.

✨ AI Insight

China overwhelmingly dominates high-altitude aviation, holding eight of the ten highest airports, all located on the Tibetan Plateau. Daocheng Yading tops the list at 4,411 meters, roughly half the cruising altitude of a jet airliner, followed closely by Qamdo Bamda (4,334 m) and Shigatse Tingri (4,317 m). The ten airports are tightly clustered, spanning just 461 meters from highest to lowest. The only non-Chinese entries are in the Andes: Vicco in Peru (4,103 m) and El Alto in Bolivia (4,061 m), which serves the city of La Paz. The concentration reflects geography, as the Tibetan Plateau and the Andes are the only densely-settled high-altitude regions on Earth requiring air links to remote communities.

Source: Wikipedia (List of highest airports)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Daocheng Yading (China) leads with 4,411 in All Time.

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Average value in All Time: 4,205 · median: 4,262.

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Gap in All Time: Daocheng Yading (China) is 1.1× larger than Shannan Longzi (China).