Summary
- Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Vatican City lack commercial airports, have heliports.
- Monaco, 36,500 population, 510 acres, close to Nice Cote d’Azur Airport.
- Vatican City has heliport, closest major airports are Rome Fiumicino, Rome Ciampino.
While almost all countries in the world have commercial airports, a few (normally microstate) countries do not. The five European countries (excluding the Sovereign Military Order of Malta) lacking airports include Andorra, Vatican City, San Marino, Monaco, and Liechtenstein (although they possess heliports). Many more countries around the world (including Belgium) lack domestic airports).
A few countries outside of Europe also lack airports (like Tokelau in the South Pacific). Some countries do have international airports, but their operations are extremely limited. For example, Lesotho is a small country completely surrounded by South Africa, and its international airport has little more than limited flights to Johannesburg. Here are five countries in Europe without airports.
1
Monaco
At only 510 acres, Monaco is 10% the size of JFK airport
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Population: |
36,500 |
|---|---|
|
Size: |
510 acres (0.81 sq miles) |
|
Closest major airports: |
Nice Cote d’Azur (France), Genoa Airport (Italy), Turin Airport (Italy) |
Monaco is the world’s second-smallest sovereign state located on the French Riviera. It is only fair that the state with an area of 510 acres has no commercial airport, especially when the closest major airport is Nice Cote d’Azur Airport (NCE) in France, situated just 19 miles away from Monaco.
Photo: oksana.perkins/Shutterstock
Monaco is easily accessible from NCE Airport either by bus, train, or car in approximately 45 minutes. Other airports close to Monaco are Genoa Airport (GOA) and Turin Airport (TRN) in Italy. Monaco is functionally part of the neighboring French towns like Beausoleil – so much so that it is not always apparent to visitors which country they are in.
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2
Andorra
Most of Andorra’s 181 square miles is mountainous
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Population: |
80,000 |
|---|---|
|
Size: |
181 sq miles |
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Closest major airports: |
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (Spain), Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (France) |
Andorra, a sovereign microstate in the eastern Pyrenees, is landlocked and bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. Its development was historically impacted by limited road and air transport links until the 20th century. While there are still no airports for fixed-wing aircraft within Andorra’s confines, the region hosts three heliports that offer commercial helicopter services. Additionally, an airport is situated just 8 miles south of the Andorran-Spanish border.
Photo: Armando Oliveira l Shutterstock
Starting in July 2015, Andorra–La Seu d’Urgell Airport (LEU) began flights to Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, serving as the main hub for Andorra Airlines. However, for long-distance travel to Andorra, the popular options are Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) in Spain and Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (TLS) in France, the nearest major airports. Andorra is unique in this list as it is not part of Schengen and maintains its immigration checkpoints (although they are not always staffed).
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3
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein’s 62 square miles is basically half a valley
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Population: |
39,000 |
|---|---|
|
Size: |
62 sq miles |
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Closest major airports: |
St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport (Switzerland), Zurich Airport (Switzerland), Friedrichshafen Airport (Austria) |
Lichtenstein is another microstate in the list of European states with no commercial airports. Located in the Alps between Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Liechtenstein has no airport but a heliport in Balzers’s southern town.
The airports closest to Liechtenstein are St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport (ACH) in Switzerland and Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) in Germany, but they offer only a limited number of scheduled flights. A more significant option is Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland, with rail connections to Buchs and Sargans.
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4
San Marino
All of San Marino’s 23 sq miles are hilly and unsuitable for landing
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Population: |
33,500 |
|---|---|
|
Size: |
23 square miles |
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Closest major airports: |
Federico Fellini International Airport (Italy) |
Nestled on the northeastern flank of the Apennine Mountains, San Marino is one of the world’s tiniest nations. It is devoid of a commercial airport and solely reachable through its network of neighboring airports or its heliport. It is worth mentioning that San Marino is among the few microstates boasting an airfield featuring a 680-meter grass runway.
Photo: trabantos l Shutterstock
The main Italian airport for accessing San Marino is Federico Fellini International Airport, which serves the ancient Roman city of Rimini (now a popular Adriatic beach resort city). Buses run to San Marino from just outside Rimini’s main train station.
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5
Vatican State
Most of the Vatican’s 121 acres are church-related buildings and gardens
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Population: |
800 |
|---|---|
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Size: |
121 acres |
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Closest major airports: |
Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport (Italy), Pastine–Rome Ciampino Airport (Italy) |
While Vatican City lacks its own airport, it does possess the Vatican City Heliport nestled in its western corner. This heliport serves visiting dignitaries and Vatican officials. Given the compact expanse of the area, which spans just 121 acres, fitting an airport within its confines would be an unattainable feat (the terminal area of JFK Airport alone is 7x times larger).
Photo: Nakasaku l Shutterstock
As the Vatican is little more than a special zone in Rome, the relevant airports serve the city. The nearest significant airport in Italy is Ciampino–G (Rome’s secondary international airport). Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) is the much larger international airport servicing Rome, located some distance outside the city—it is connected to Rome by a well-functioning train.