Airports absurdly close to the city

[Quickstatus]

Nothing beats the old Kai Tak airport - Mrs Wongs laundry

SYD is so close that people complain about airport noise even though they moved into the area knowing the airport was there.

 

[randompunter]

We walked from downtown Nukus, Uzbekistan to the airport, was prob less than 2km. Is it a city though? 330k people and Uzbek's 6th largest city according to Wiki, but felt very small.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Google tells me Osaka Itami airport is 20 kms north of downtown Osaka. Compared to KIX, 40 kms south of the city, that seems relatively close.

Yeah ITM is much closer but no direct train line into Osaka (or Kyoto) so you have to catch a bus/taxi or a monorail then train so not exactly as well connected as KIX.

Fukuoka is a ridiculous example as first noted but under huge strain now given it's expansion limitiations and Fukuokas hugely growing popularity.

 

[shaun_b]

YTZ should also be right up there.

Definitely. I didn't realize how close and convenient it was until I walked from the airport to my downtown accom in around 20 min.

 

[Beano]

Has anyone mentioned Gibraltar? There was a main highway across the runway but I believe they built a tunnel under.

 

[flyingfan]

Has anyone mentioned Gibraltar? There was a main highway across the runway but I believe they built a tunnel under.

Yes, post 51. I live vicariously through all these places I haven’t been to, Gibraltar included!

 

[Himeno]

Google tells me Osaka Itami airport is 20 kms north of downtown Osaka. Compared to KIX, 40 kms south of the city, that seems relatively close.

If only ITM had a useful rail connection. Only has a monorail which doesn't go into the city, just the northern suburbs.

surprised no one has said Chicago Midway

 

[Spacetravel]

Queenstown (ZQN) while not a major city, ZQN is very close to the city (town) centre and ski fields. Ive been able to have a day on the slopes and still make my afternoon flight without any issues.

I feel like Singapore (SIN) needs a mention too, while the airport is pretty much as far as they could put it from the city centre, with the entire country the size of Sydney its still pretty close to the city. Close enough the airport is also a shopping centre and entertainment space for locals to visit who have no intention to travel.
Fun fact the road that leads into the airport was built to double as a runway if ever needed for wartime (or at least that is what the locals told me).

 

[moa999]

Has anyone mentioned Gibraltar? There was a main highway across the runway but I believe they built a tunnel under.

Flown into GIB twice, have relatives who work in Gib, live in Spain, so have actually dragged luggage over the runway a couple of times, as well as crossing on scooter and car.

The airport tunnel finally opened in 2023 after a lot of issues between Gibraltar and Spain, but believe one can still cross on foot at times.

 

[Groundfeeder]

Not sure if its been aforementioned but Coolys' got to be up there.
The rooves on Monash and Morshead streets have the cleanest and most sparkling tiles from the regular free airbrushing from the airlines.

 

[Cossie]

Broome airport. My mother grew up next to where Tong’s Restaurant is now. House long gone, block of land is now government offices.
She talked about walking over to the plane at the airport to collect the mail from Perth. This would have been late 1920’s and 1930’s.

 

[dajop]

Naples airport very close to the city too.

Also, more of a town than a city, but the end of the runway at Innsbruck is about 2-2.5km from the town centre.

 

[docjames]

LIN (especially when compared to MXP) in Milan - sub 15min to dead centre of town

AEP (Especially compared to EZE) in Buenos Aires also sub 15min


For an airport of it’s size, DXB is remarkably close to much of Dubai…..

 

[kookaburra75]

Broome airport. My mother grew up next to where Tong’s Restaurant is now. House long gone, block of land is now government offices.
She talked about walking over to the plane at the airport to collect the mail from Perth. This would have been late 1920’s and 1930’s.

It was still almost like that when I worked in Broome in the early to mid 80s. Our office was down on Dampier Terrace (circled in red), was directly underneath the approach path. You couldn't even hear yourself think.

But if Lord McAlpine was able to swap the land for the airport and build a new international airport out on his station just out of town, it would have been a lot different.

McAlpine re-enters Broome debate

To younger Broome residents, Lord Alistair McAlpine is only dimly recalled as that eccentric posh bloke with a big exotic animal collection who signed the deal to buy land for the Cable Beach Club with a signature scrawled on a beer coaster.

thewest.com.au

 

[kevrosmith]

It was still almost like that when I worked in Broome in the early to mid 80s. Our office was down on Dampier Terrace (circled in red), was directly underneath the approach path. You couldn't even hear yourself think.
View attachment 451772
But if Lord McAlpine was able to swap the land for the airport and build a new international airport out on his station just out of town, it would have been a lot different.

McAlpine re-enters Broome debate

To younger Broome residents, Lord Alistair McAlpine is only dimly recalled as that eccentric posh bloke with a big exotic animal collection who signed the deal to buy land for the Cable Beach Club with a signature scrawled on a beer coaster.

thewest.com.au

If that was in Sydney, the airport would’ve been shut down by NIMBY’ers decades ago…

Reminds me of that song, “Which comes first, the chicken or the egg…”

 

[kookaburra75]

If that was in Sydney, the airport would’ve been shut down by NIMBY’ers decades ago…

True, but then we only got two flights a day, which made it a special occasion.

One night when I was flying back into Broome from further up north on a F28, in the days of MMA (Mickey Mouse Airlines), we landed and then the aircraft swung slightly one way and then back the other to straighten up. The captain came on the intercom to let us know he had to swerve around some roos resting on the runway. You wouldn't get that in the big smoke.

 

[dajop]

The captain came on the intercom to let us know he had to swerve around some roos resting on the runway. You wouldn't get that in the big smoke.

In the “big smoke” Roos seems to prefer chemists and car parks to the runways.

Kangaroo surprises passengers in Melbourne Airport terminal

Passengers at Melbourne Airport got a surprise when a kangaroo bounced into the terminal and had to be tranquilised and captured.

www.abc.net.au

Kangaroo caught on the hop in airport car park

Motorists using the long-term car park at Melbourne Airport were greeted by an unusual sight this morning - a kangaroo.

www.abc.net.au