Named after the nearby historic city of Carthage, Tunis-Carthage International is the leading airport in Tunisia. Serving around 4 million travelers each year, the airport prides itself in offering high quality facilities, including hair salons inside the terminal.
Thankfully, the airport is located on the coast. Tunis is part of the Sahara, so you'll be glad for your vehicle's airconditioning and trips to the beach.
With 100,000 people travelling to the Cook Islands each year, tourism is a huge part of the country's economy, and the little Rarotonga International Airport is a busy place. In 2009 over $8m was spent on making over the old terminal, and the renovated building was opened last year.
The western end of the runway is quite close to some of the local roads, so there's usually a few aircraft enthusiests having a close up look at the jets as they fly in or out, and as the runway stretches along next to the water, there's sure to be beautiful tropical views when you arrive.
During the 1940s Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport was largely used as a military transport base, but it is now the main entrance to visit Suriname for all visitors. The airport is located in a village not far from the capital city of Paramaribo, where over half of the population live. The area is well known for diversity in culture, and the historic buildings in its inner city.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport is Vietnam’s largest airport, located in Ho Chi Minh city. If you’re confused about the airport code, SGN relates to the old name of the city, Saigon. In the 60s and 70s this was one of the busiest military airbases in the world, although these days the airport serves over 15 million passengers each year from all over the world.
Watch out for the traffic, with over 7 million people in the city it's best to avoid driving during rush hour.
Opened in 1958, Beijing Capital International Airport is currently the 2nd busiest airport in the world, and was named the world’s best airport in 2009. Amazingly, the original terminal is still in use, but multiple upgrades have taken place, most recently an expansion in 2008 to accommodate the travel needs associated with the Beijing Olympics.
This airport is a hive of activity with one of the three terminals moving over 19,000 pieces of luggage each hour. The same terminal, terminal 3, has 78 million passengers per year, and 114,000 square feet of duty free shopping.
Grab some snacks before heading out on the road - the airport has a promise that the food prices you pay inside the airport will be no different than the prices in central Beijing.
Douala International Airport is the busiest airport in the Republic of Cameroon. Douala is the capital of the Littoral Province, and the airport is located just 10km (6 miles) from the city.
Douala is a great place to explore as it is the home of most of Cameroon’s exports, from coffee to oil, and also has some of the country’s best restaurants and coffee houses.
When flying into Shanghai you will arrive at one of two airports; Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, or Shanghai Pudong Airport.
Hongqiao Airport is Shanghai’s main domestic airport, although it does serve some international flights. It is the 4th busiest airport in China, and was recently named the most improved airport in the world. Pudong Airport, located on the eastern coastline is a major aviation hub in Asia, and handles most of the international flights into Shanghai. It is open 24 hours a day and is set to be upgraded to be capable of handling 80 million passengers each year.
If you’re flying into Gibraltar Airport you must be somebody important, or somebody brave. Gibraltar airport is rated the 5th most dangerous airport in the world, possibly due to the fact that a main road intersects with the airport runway and has to be closed every time a plane arrives or takes off. The airport is generally used by the Royal Air Force, however there are flights available to Gibraltar from the UK.
A curious little place, with steep roads, Gibraltar is only 7km (4.3 miles) squared, but there is plenty to see before heading on to Spain.
The Seychelles International Airport was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in March 1972, and in the same year Air Mahé was founded. Not long after its opening, the Seychelles airport was being used by around 30 different airlines. Since then, a continuing increase in passengers has seen the airport be extended multiple times. It is now able to accommodate 11 aircraft at one time, which is plenty for the size of The Seychelles. Both the International and domestic terminals are located on The Seychelles most populated island, Mahé, and are within walking distance from each other. The capital city, Victoria, is about an 11km drive from the airport.
By car you’ll be able to see the entire island of Mahé in only a few hours, and there is free parking readily available.
Maurice Bishop International Airport, also known as St Georges airport, is located at Point Salines in the the southwestern point of the island nation of Grenada. Opened in 1984, this airport was built to improve tourism by providing access to Grenada for European and North American tourists and recently celebrated 25 years of growth in Grenada’s tourism.
Remember, it’s a tropical climate, so be prepared for the humidity when you arrive, and rent a car with air-conditioning!
Airlines operating from Maurice Bishop International Airport:
