Airport trivia - an HF quiz

What was the busiest airport in the world in 2019?

A) Beijing
B) London Heathrow
C) Atlanta
D) Dubai

C) Atlanta

Acting as the primary international airport serving Atlanta, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world by passenger numbers and second busiest by aircraft movements. Heathrow popped up at number 7 in the list.

How many international airports does London have?

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7

C) 6

London, the largest aviation hub in the world. The international airports are London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, London Stansted and London Southend.

Which of these countries has no airport?

A) Andorra
B) San Marino
C) Liechtenstein
D) All of them

D) All of them

In each case, there's simply no room for airports in these tiny states.

Which country is the only one with an airport featuring a beach runway with regular scheduled traffic ?

A) Bahamas
B) Jamaica
C) Scotland
D) Tanzania

C) Scotland

Barra Airport (BRR) in the Outer Hebrides is unique for having a runway on a tidal beach and yes, flights are affected by high tides

Which airport has a runway intersecting with a major highway?

A) Gibraltar
B) Barcelona
C) Monaco
D) Menorca

A) Gibraltar

It may be small but Gibraltar has one of the riskiest arrivals, with its runway bisected by a 4-lane highway; planes alternate with cars.

Rather improbably, which airport comes with a nine-hole golf course?

A) London Heathrow
B) Hong Kong
C) Phoenix, Arizona
D) Dubai

B) Hong Kong

Hong Kong International isn't just one of the busiest airports on the planet for people and cargo; it's a giant entertainment complex as well and home to the largest IMAX screen in Hong Kong and a nine-hole golf course.

In which of his one-time haunts would you find John Lennon Airport?

A) Liverpool
B) Hamburg
C) New York
D) I always preferred The Stones

A) Liverpool

Of course..Originally called Speke Airport (LPL), the airport was renamed after Liverpudlian musician John Lennon of the Beatles in 2001.

If you were flying out of Robin Hood Airport where would you be?

A) Doncaster
B) Nottingham
C) Birmingham
D) Manchester

A) Doncaster

The local airport was renamed Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), much to the bafflement of the people 41 miles away in Nottingham, which is more commonly associated with the outlaw, although he is reputed to have lived some of his life around the Doncaster area.

Which famously musical American city is home to Louis Armstrong Airport'?

A) Seattle
B) Minneapolis
C) Nashville
D) New Orleans

D) New Orleans

Now named for the famous jazz master, the airport retains the code MSY, as it was originally named after daredevil aviator John Moisant and derived from Moisant Stock Yards.

Airports are full of nervous flyers but which of these airport codes is made up?

A) EEE
B) EEK
C) OMG
D) WAA

A) EEE

All the others are real, for Eek Airport, Alaska, Omega Airport, Namibia and Wales Airport, Alaska respectively.

Which animal would you associate with Frank Pais Airport in Cuba?

A) CAT
B) DOG
C) HOG
D) I'm alergic to animals

C) HOG

Named for Holguin, where it is found. CAT is Cascais Municipal Aerodrome in Portugal, and DOG is Dongola Airport in Sudan.

Which airport would you be landing at if you were travelling to AGP?

A) Santiago
B) Malaga
C) Antigua
D) Tobago

B) Malaga

Instead of using the code MAL, which translates as 'bad' in Spanish, Malaga opted to use two middle letters and add a P.

Several famous US cities have airports ending in 'X' but which of these is fake?

A) LAX - Los Angeles
B) PDX - Portland
C) PHX - Phoenix
D) SFX - San Francisco

D) SFX

If you arrived in SFX you'd be in Venezuela... San Francisco is SFO.

Which airport is officially, and unfortunately, known as PEE?

A) Peenemunde, Germany
B) Perm, Russia
C) Pelican Seaplane Base, USA
D) Pelaneng, Lesotho

B) Perm, Russia

The unfortunate code derives from an alternate spelling of the name, PErEm.

And while we're being puerile, which airport has the abreviation POO?

A) Podor, Senegal
B) Pontoise, France
C) Porotoroz, Slovenia
D) Pocos de Caldas, Brazil

D) Pocos de Caldas

Looking beyond its offical abreviation, the airport in southern Brazil is named after Walter Moreira Salles, a banker and philanthropist.

Enough LOL. But where is this Laugh Out Loud airfield found?

A) Grand Rapids, USA
B) Derby Field, USA
C) Sioux City, USA
D) Willow, USA

B) Derby Field, USA

Because it's based in Lovelock. The other cities have equally comical abreviations though, GRR (Grand Rapids), SUX (Sioux City) and WOW (Willow).

In which country would would-be superheroes find Batman Airport (BAL)?

A) Turkey
B) Germany
C) Jordan
D) Gotham

A) Turkey

No superheroes here, just people travelling out of the Turkish city of Batman in the southeastern Anatolia region.

Which US naval airport was the setting for the classic film, Top Gun?

A) NKX
B) NQK
C) NGU
D) NBG

A) NKX

US naval airport codes all start with the letter N but Top Gun was based on life at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego.