You may ask what are the least busiest airports in the world right now? Tuvalu, a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is home to the world’s least-busy international airport, Funafuti International airport. Due to its relative isolation, the airport only receives four weekly flights from a total of two airlines.
Once a week, a Bombardier Q100 operated by Air Kiribati departs from Tarawa, Kiribati, and lands in Funafuti, carrying 37 passengers.
Three times a week, an ATR72-600 with seating for about 68 passengers departs from Suva, Fiji, and heads to Funafuti. when there are no flights, the runway is used as a playground.
Also, the least busy in terms of international flights, I would recommend Brazil’s Congonhas International Airport. Though it has the word “international” in its name, no international flights have landed there since 1985, when Viracopos (VCP) and then Guarulhos (GRU) airports opened. Despite its popularity with domestic and executive aviation, the airport has not seen an international flight in over 30 years. Back in the day, however, international and domestic flights from other airlines (including PanAm) made pit stops there.
The airport’s entrance features tiled walls depicting a PanAm flight’s stop there (unfortunately, the observation deck has been demolished).
During the 1950s, all international flights to and from Sao Paulo departed and landed at Congonhas because the airport’s runways were large enough to accommodate the Lockheed Constellations, Douglas DC-6s, and Douglas DC-7s in use at the time. When airlines began purchasing early jets like the Convair 880, Convair 990 Coronado, Boeing 707, and Douglas DC-8, long-distance flights were relocated to Viracopos Airport, and European airlines abandoned Congonhas permanently. In 1985, the airport stopped receiving any international flights.
Air travel isn’t always the best option when you want to relax on your trip.
12 Least Busiest Airport In The World Right Now [2023 Update]
1. Funafuti International Airport
First on the least of least busy international airports is the Funafuti international airport. The capital of Tuvalu, Funafuti, is home to the country’s only airport, Funafuti International Airport. It serves as Tuvalu’s only connection to the rest of the world. From Suva to Funafuti, you can fly with Fiji Airways. Only once every week does Air Kiribati fly from Tarawa to Funafuti.
Read Also: 22 Most Dangerous Airports In The World Right Now
In 1943, a group of United States Navy Seabees from the 2nd Naval Construction Battalion constructed Funafuti Airport as part of World War II.
The radio station at Tepuka was cabled to the airfield via the military airstrip, which featured a control tower and other amenities. The current location of Teagai Apelu’s home was once the base’s command post, and a bunker still stands there today.
Read Also: 12 Most Dangerous Airports In Europe
On April 20, 1943, the United States began its first offensive operation, which involved the bombing of Nauru with 22 B-24 Liberator planes from the 371st and 372nd Bombardment Squadrons. The next morning, the Japanese launched a predawn raid on the Funafuti runway, destroying one B-24 and damaging five additional planes in the process.
Tarawa was bombed by a group of 12 B-24s on April 22. From May through September of 1943, Marine Fighting Squadron 441 (VMF-441), flying the F4F Wildcat, was based out of Funafuti.
Read Also: 15 Best Airport In America Right Now
Since November 1943, when Japanese forces were established on Tarawa and other locations in the Gilbert Islands, the airfield has served as the headquarters of the United States Army Air Forces’ VII Bomber Command.
The USAAF’s 11th Wing and 30th Bombardment Groups, both equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers, were based on Funafuti in November 1943 to carry out Operation Galvanic, which resulted in the Battles of Tarawa and Makin.
With the front lines shifting further north toward Japan in the middle of 1944, the United States began to pull back. Nearly all of them, along with their equipment, had already left by the time the Pacific War concluded in 1945. When the war was over, the airfield was transformed into a civilian airport.
2. Congonhas International Airport
The second least business airport in the world is the Congonhas international airport. So Paulo, Brazil is served by four major airports, one of which is Congonhas International Airport. The airport takes its name from the nearby Vila Congonhas area, which was originally owned by the family of Lucas Antônio Monteiro de Barros (1767-1851), Viscount of Congonhas do Campo, the first president of the Province of So Paulo following Brazil’s independence in 1822.
The Viscount’s estate was given the name Congonhas-do-campo after the Brazilian term for a type of plant (Luxemburgia polyandra, of the Ochnaceae family). It was formally renamed after Deputy Freitas Nobre on June 19, 2017. Nonetheless, the name Congonhas is still the most common. So Paulo Municipality owns it.
The airport is being managed jointly by Infraero and AENA during this transition phase. As one of Brazil’s five airports subject to such restrictions, Congonhas has a maximum of 30 operations per hour for its slots. This airport saw nearly as many passengers as Sao Paulo–Guarulhos in 2019.
Read Also: 12 Smallest Airports In The World [2023 Ranking]
One of the finest specimens of modern architecture in all of So Paulo may be found in the terminal’s main hall. However, beginning in 2003, the terminal has undergone extensive modernization and expansion while making an effort to maintain the building’s original appearance. The current size of the main terminal is approximately 554-718 square feet (51.535 m2).
3. Kuwait Airport (Kuwait)
The Kuwait airport is small in comparison to the others on this list, which is one of its significant drawbacks. New gate expansions have not helped the more manageable terminals keep up with the increasing number of passengers. Combined with the most alarming punctuality rate of any airport, this is a major drawback. Wi-Fi connectivity also seems to fail frequently. Kuwait International Airport has fallen to last place among airports worldwide in terms of passenger traffic.
Read Also: 15 Best Airlines To Fly From SFO To Paris 2023 [My Experience]
4. London Stansted Airport (England)
Nowhere you can find more frustrated air travelers than in the English capital. In fact, Gatwick Airport, just 0.6 miles south of London, has even undercut the miserable mood score of the Stansted airport. But in the northeast of the city, apparently, punctuality and quality of service still have a big room for improvement.
5. Gander International Airport
Canada’s Gander International Airport is located in the city of Gander in Newfoundland and Labrador. Before aircraft could fly nonstop between the United States and Europe, it was a crucial hub for international trade.
A significant number of European wide-body jets heading for the United States landed there on September 11, 2001, and the airport played a key role in their arrival. As of late, it’s been converted into a tiny regional airport that serves Gander and the surrounding area.
Despite its name, Gander Airport is mostly used for turbo-prop services to Atlantic Canadian destinations and seasonal charter flights to areas like the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
6. Pyongyang International Airport
As the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang is home to the country’s primary airport, Pyongyang International Airport (also referred to as Pyongyang Sunan International Airport). Sunan District in the city is where you’ll find it. As of this March 2019, only Air Koryo and Air China are servicing Pyongyang International Airport, and the only two nations outside of China and Russia that are served are China and Russia.
In Pyongyang, two airports were constructed while the city was under Japanese rule. The Imperial Japanese Navy constructed and used Pyongyang Air Base during the 1940s and 1950s. In addition, Japanese imperial forces constructed Mirim Airport to the east of the Taedong River in the 1940s.
While it served its purpose during World War II, it was replaced by Sunan Airfield after the war. As Pyongyang Air Base was transformed into a government complex and residential area, Mirim Airport continued to serve as a military airstrip.
For about a month and a half in the latter half of 1950, UN forces seized the airport during the Korean War.
At this time, the army had a lot of supplies sent to Sunan by air. The airport was submerged in water when the United States Air Force destroyed Toksan Dam on May 13, 1953. The airport was repaired and expanded by the North Korean government after an armistice was signed two months later.
In the mid-1980s, the Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot offered service between Moscow and Khabarovsk. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1993, it continued to provide service to Pyongyang, but cut off the North Korean capital soon thereafter. However, in the 1990s, Air Koryo provided nonstop service to Europe. In 1998, the airline used Ilyushin IL-62s to travel to Moscow, connecting there with flights to Berlin and Sofia. By 2002, all three routes had been discontinued.
7. Gaza International Airport
Once known as both Gaza International Airport and Dahaniya International Airport, Yasser Arafat International Airport is situated in the Gaza Strip between Rafah and Dahaniya, not far from the Egyptian border. The center first welcomed customers on November 24, 1998, and closed its doors in late 2000, amid the height of the Second Intifada.
8. Castellón – Costa Azahar Airport
In March 2011, just before regional elections and when the cost neared €150 million, local authorities declared the airport “open,” despite having neither airlines signed up to land there nor government approval to operate.
It had been planned for commercial flights to commence on April 1, 2012, but it wasn’t until September 15, 2015, that the first commercial flight actually landed at the airport.
Back in February 2012, news came out that the airport’s runway needed some work before it could open. A further report indicated that the entire runway would require excavation.
The airport has become emblematic of the frivolous spending that has contributed to Spain’s current economic and banking crises. It was discovered, for example, that Aerocas, the airport’s operating business, had spent 26 million euros on regional sports team sponsorships, or around one-sixth of the airport’s total cost.
Outside the airport’s main entrance stands a 24-meter-tall statue costing $375,000, which is widely seen as a symbol of Carlos Fabra, the once-powerful local politician who was the primary driver behind the airport’s development. After being sentenced to four years in jail for tax fraud in December 2014, Fabra has been the subject of multiple judicial investigations for corruption and tax evasion.
At Castellón-Costa Azahar, the first flight took off on January 14, 2014, over four years after the airport’s official opening. The airport-sponsored Villarreal CF football club flew on charter aircraft YW2003 from Air Nostrum to San Sebastián for a Copa del Rey match versus Real Sociedad.
Beginning in September 2015, Ryanair began operating the first regularly scheduled, albeit seasonal, flights from Castellón-Costa Azahar to Bristol and London Stansted. To determine if airport manager SNC-Lavalin of Canada and low-cost airline Ryanair of Ireland are receiving illegal subsidies from the regional government, the European Union has launched an official investigation.
British Airways’ three retired Boeing 747s were flown to Castellón-Costa Azahar Airport between August and November of 2020. Fire severely destroyed one plane with the registration number G-CIVD.
The six Boeing 737s of Ukraine International Airlines were temporarily housed at Castellón-Costa Azahar Airport when the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred in 2022.
New flights from the airport are planned for 2022 by several airlines. To name a few: Wizz Air to Budapest, Ryanair to Dublin and Brussels South Charleroi, and Air Nostrum’s local connection to Madrid.
9. Chalôns Vatry Airport
Furthermore on the list of least busiest airports in the world. Châlons-en-Champagne (previously Châlons-sur-Marne) is served by the little international airport of Chalôns Vatry in northeastern France. It’s in the Marne region, namely the town of Vatry, which is 22 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of Châlons-en-Champagne. [1] In 1953 it opened as Vatry Air Base, and in 2000 it was turned over to civilian usage.
The area around the airport, once known as the communauté de communes de l’Europort, is now referred to as Vatry Europort due to its focus on freight activities. It is 147 kilometers (91 miles) to the east of central Paris and around 105 kilometers (65 miles) from Disneyland Paris, however, it is also informally promoted as Paris-Vatry or Paris-Vatry (Disney) for passenger traffic.
In 1950, as NATO struggled to find an answer to the question of how to ensure the continued viability of its air power in the face of the Cold War, the first plans for what would become Châlons Vatry Airport were hatched. First-strike survival planning in both conventional and nuclear warfare has to be taken into account.
Three big hangars were built at Vatry Air Base to accommodate the fifty fighter planes that were planned for use there when construction began in 1953. Vatry Air Base was deactivated and the American personnel evacuated after France withdrew from the unified NATO military structure in 1967.
The French Air Force used Vatry Air Base as a training center for a long time. After changing hands in the early 2000s, it was transformed into a hub for international heavy cargo and commercial passengers.
Airport de Châlons-Vatry also functions as a military and commercial pilot school. Air France, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, KLM, Transavia, Transavia France, and Swiss International Air Lines are among the companies that use the airport.
This airport is frequently used by Airbus for testing new aircraft, including the tests for A350 Velocity Minimum Unstick, due to the length of its runway.
In March 2021, ASI-GROUP will open a 2,500 square meter hangar at the Marne airport site to expand its client delivery center and some of its aircraft transformation and fitting operations. Large helicopters and airplanes like the Airbus A321, Boeing 737, and ATR 72 will fit in this hangar.
10. Groningen Airport Eelde
Airport Eelde near Groningen serves as a secondary international gateway to the Netherlands’ northern provinces. It’s around 8.9 kilometers (5.5 miles) south of Groningen, the provincial capital, and near Eelde in Drenthe. A total of 220,710 passengers used the airport in 2015. KLM Flight Academy, Noord Nederlandse Aero Club (NNAC), and General Enterprises all have bases at the airport.
The airport, originally known as Hagenkampsveld, began operations in 1928. It opened to the public the following year, in 1931. In 1933, the name was changed to Luchthaven Eelde. During World War II, the airfield was used by the German troops. Having flights to Europe from the airport since 1958. Groningen Airport Eelde is the current name for the airport, which was adopted in 1988.
11. City of Derry Airport
The City of Derry Airport, also known as RAF Eglinton and Londonderry Eglinton Airport, is a small airport about 11 kilometers northeast of Derry in Northern Ireland. Situated on the south bank of Lough Foyle, only a short distance from the nearby community of Eglinton and around 8 miles (13 km) from the heart of the city.
Passenger traffic at Eglinton Airport, as it is commonly called, has decreased in recent years.
The airport saw a record low of 80,495 passengers in 2020, down 81% from 2008, and the fewest passengers it had seen since 1998. Domestic flights to England and Scotland are provided by Loganair and Ryanair, and international flights to Spain and Portugal will be provided by AlbaStar starting in the summer of 2022.
12. Sitia Public Airport
Located in Mponta, Sitia Municipality, on the eastern side of Crete in Greece is a small community airfield known as Sitia Public Airport. The citizens of Sitia can use the facility to get the help they need. The airport is situated north-northwest of the city center, one kilometer away.
On June 7, 1984, the first plane touched down at Sitia Airport, marking the beginning of its operational history.
SX-BHF was the tail number of a Dornier Do-228 flown by Olympic Airways. This flight was a trial run to see how well the airport and its handling services worked. Exactly two days later, on June 9, 1984, the airport opened to the public. The airport was officially renamed v, which translates to “Municipal Airport of Sitia.” The inaugural flight, OAL 7001, landed at 10:30 a.m. on the same day. The first flight from Rhodes arrived on June 13th, and a flight from the nearby island of Karpathos landed the following day, on June 14th.
A new terminal building and control tower was opened for business on May 20th, 1993. A total of 550 m2 has been taken up by the brand-spanking new fittings. In May of 2003, a brand new runway measuring 2,074 meters in length and orientated at 05/23 was finished.
There are now three brand-new taxiways and two brand-new airplane stands. In addition, a temporary facility encompassing 1,000 m2 has been erected in place of the previous terminal building. Airport operations were relocated to a new terminal on January 13, 2016. The brand-new structure covers an area of 7,500 m2.
22 Least Busiest International Airport in US 2022/2023
Currently, the least busy international airport in America or the least used international airport in the US right now is the Tulsa International Airport. Following are the list of 22 other least-used international airports in the US right now
1. Tulsa International Airport
2. Casper International Airport
3. Natrona International Airport
4. Birmingham International Airport
5. Shuttleworth International Airport
6. Huntsville International Airport
7. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
8. Great Falls International Airport
9. Glacier Park International Airport
10. Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
11. Gulfport Biloxi International Airport
12. Portland International Jetport
13. Bangor International Airport
14. Albuquerque Sunport International Airport
15. Moines International Jetport
16. Quad City International Airport
17. Hector International Airport
18. Grand Forks International Airport
19. Minot International Airport
20. T.F Green International Airport
21. Portsmouth Pease International Airport
22. Kansas City International Airport
What is the world’s most deserted airport?
The world’s most deserted airport right now is the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.
Conclusion
You may wonder what is the world’s least busy international airports or what is the least used international airport in the USA today, we have taken the time to given you all you need to know in this content. Do let us know if there are other airports we are missing on this list.
