For remote communities across the world, an airstrip is a lifeline. Whether perched high on an inaccessible mountain, on an island in the middle of a vast ocean or at either of the world’s frigid poles, they are a connection to the outside world and, often, vital supplies.
Click through the gallery to see the world’s most isolated airports and the communities they serve…
Built by the United States Navy during World War II, this airport was an important stepping stone for American forces as they beat back the Japanese Navy across the vast empty expanses of the central Pacific Ocean.
After the war it was handed over to the Marshall Island’s government and renamed after the country's first president, Amata Kabua. The airport sits only six feet (1.8m) above sea level, so a series of sea walls were built between 2007 and 2009 to prevent the sea from reclaiming the infill used to create it.
Operated by Canada’s Department of National Defence, Alert airport near Nunavut is the world's northernmost permanent airport and one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. There is no direct sunlight between October and March and temperatures regularly plummet to -40°C/°F.
Just 450 nautical miles (833km) south of the true North Pole, the gravel runway is constantly buffeted by ice, snow and extreme winds. If it ever needs to close, flights are diverted to the nearest airport, Thule Air Base in Greenland, 367 nautical miles (680km) to the south.
Surrounded by towering peaks and buffeted by extreme weather, pilots regard Nyingchi Mainling Airport in Tibet as one of the most challenging instrument approaches in the world. It also has the least number of days suitable for landings, barely more than 100 days each year.
It is also Tibet’s lowest airport. Sitting at the relatively low altitude of 9,675 feet (2,949m), it has become increasingly popular with tourists looking to acclimatise before venturing into the loftier parts of the region.
The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station airstrip, also known as the Jack F. Paulus Skiway, is a 12,000-foot-long (3,658m) snow runway in Antarctica that serves the research station located at the geographic South Pole.
One of the southernmost airports in the world, it is primarily used by large aircraft to deliver much needed supplies to the isolated research station. The engines are kept running while the planes are on the ground to stop lubricating oil, hydraulic fluids, and fuel from freezing.
Serving the remote Alaskan settlement of Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow), the Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport is the most northerly airport on US soil. It serves five domestic routes, with daily flights to Anchorage and regular services to the tiny settlements of Wainwright, Nuiqsut, Atqasuk and Point Lay.
The airport is named after American humourist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post who died when their plane crashed nearby in 1935.
Tucked high in the Himalaya, Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal is not just one of the world’s most remote airports, it’s also one of the most dangerous. The high elevation, short runway, surrounding mountains and thin air making landing here a hair-raising experience.
Sitting at an elevation of 9,500 feet (2,896m), it is the closest airport to Everest Base Camp. Its construction was initiated by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb mighty Everest, and, courtesy of the harsh conditions, took close to a decade to build.
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Another remote and treacherous airport is Courchevel Airport, wedged on the edge of a mountain in the French Alps. Perched at an altitude of 6,594 feet (2,010m), the airport has one of the world's shortest runways and the highest tarmacked runway in Europe.
While remote, the airport is extremely convenient for the rich and famous staying at the 5-star ski resorts nearby. Indeed, skiers often pause on the slopes to watch private jets arrive on the cliff-side runway.
The inauguration of Paro International Airport on 23 March 1968, marked a turning point in the history of the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. For the first time, this magical and reclusive nation was connected to the outside world.
It would be another six years before the first tourists were let in. And even today, tourist numbers are carefully regulated. Most arrive here, their pilots negotiating a narrow corridor between mountains, making sharp turns and descending into the valley below.
Located 1,200 miles (1,931km) west of Angola, St Helena is one of the most remote islands in the world. It is so remote that Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled here after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815, dying on the island in 1821.
Home to roughly 4,500 people, the South Atlantic island was served by an aging Royal Mail ship until a controversial airport was constructed and opened in 2017. Approaching aircraft are often buffeted by windshear and turbulence, making it one of the most difficult airports to land at as well.
Svalbard Airport serving Longyearbyen on Norway’s remote Svalbard archipelago. It is the world's northernmost airport served by commercial flights, and one of the planet’s airstrips most threatened by climate change.
The 7,546-foot-long runway (2,300m) was built in the early 1970s, but an increase in Arctic temperatures has caused the permafrost upon which it is built to start melting. Buildings and other infrastructure are sinking and each summer the runaway has to be meticulously checked every day for subsidence.
The title of the most remote airport in the world goes to Mataveri International Airport on Easter Island. A tiny speck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it sits 2,336 miles (3,759km) from the closest mainland airport in Santiago, Chile.
The airport is served by the Chilean airline LATAM, with daily flights to and from Santiago. It is a vital lifeline for the island's commerce and tourism, which relies on air transport for about 90% of its goods and visitors.
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Now read on for the scariest airport landings in the world...