What is the world's highest commercial airport?

Daocheng Yading Airport is the world’s highest commercial airport.

Located in Sichuan Province, China, the airport sits at 4,411 metres above sea level. It serves Daocheng County and the nearby Yading Nature Reserve, a mountainous region known for high-altitude scenery. Under the standard record category of highest civilian airport, it handles scheduled passenger flights.

Construction began after approval in 2011, and the airport opened on 16 September 2013. Its inaugural service was Air China Flight 4215 from Chengdu, operated by an Airbus A319 carrying 118 passengers. The route reduced travel between Chengdu and Daocheng from roughly two days by road to about an hour by air.

The thin air at this elevation creates special engineering and operating challenges, including reduced aircraft performance during takeoff. Daocheng Yading therefore has a 4,200-metre-long runway. Qamdo Bangda Airport and El Alto International Airport are also extremely high, but both sit below Daocheng Yading’s elevation.