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Top 10 Highest Airports in the World

By Dhiraj Sharma · Published November 12, 2026

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The airports ranked here use official elevation of operating civilian airports, and planned, closed, or military fields are labelled rather than mixed in. Rank is by official elevation of an operating civilian airport, and planned, closed, or military fields are labelled rather than mixed into the same official product ^[1]^[2]^[3]. Daocheng Yading Airport in Sichuan is first. Guinness World Records gives it the title of highest airport, at 4,411 metres, or 14,472 feet, above mean sea level ^[1]. Qamdo Bamda Airport in Tibet is second, at 4,334 metres ^[2]. Shigatse Tingri Airport, also called Dingri, is third, at 4,317 metres, after the airport entered service in the early 2020s ^[2]. Ngari Gunsa Airport is fourth, at 4,274 metres ^[2]. Ngari Burang Airport, also called Purang, is fifth, at 4,250 metres, after opening on 27 December 2023 ^[2]^[3]. Kangding Airport is sixth at the later official elevation of 4,238 metres used in Civil Aviation Administration of China and International Civil Aviation Organization tables; earlier published figures of 4,280 metres are labelled rather than used as a silent replacement that would move the airport above Ngari Gunsa ^[2]^[4].

Later names remain in the same official civilian-elevation class. Vicco Airport in Peru is seventh, at 4,103 metres, a public aerodrome whose 2026 modernization authorization is a construction approval, not evidence that a new paved international airport is already in service ^[5]. Garze Gesar Airport is eighth, at 4,068 metres ^[2]. El Alto International Airport, serving La Paz, is ninth, at 4,061 metres, and is the outstanding high-elevation international airport in this ten ^[2]. Shannan Longzi Airport is tenth, at 3,950 metres ^[2]. Captain Nicolas Rojas Airport at PotosÃ, 3,936 metres, sits just outside. Closed high-elevation fields, including the former airports of Sucre and Quito, are labelled and left out. This article does not copy official crests, flags, airline logos, or exact terminal facades as decorative art.

Key Facts

The ten below are the labelled official-elevation leaders among operating civilian airports: Daocheng Yading, 4,411 metres, the Guinness highest airport; Qamdo Bamda, 4,334 metres; Shigatse Tingri, 4,317 metres; Ngari Gunsa, 4,274 metres; Ngari Burang, 4,250 metres, opened 27 December 2023; Kangding, 4,238 metres on later official tables, with 4,280 metres labelled as an earlier figure; Vicco, 4,103 metres, a public aerodrome, not a completed 2026 international rebuild; Garze Gesar, 4,068 metres; El Alto International, 4,061 metres; and Shannan Longzi, 3,950 metres ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]. Rank 1 is the outstanding official civilian elevation, which is also the only airport in the ten given a Guinness title as the highest airport.

A ranking of the highest international airports would still start well below Daocheng Yading and would give El Alto a much higher place. A ranking that included unopened or military strips would be a different official class. The table is the official spine: operating civilian elevation first, earlier alternative figures labelled, and no closed field smuggled in as an official cell.

Highest Airports at a Glance

Rank	Airport	Official elevation	2026 note
1	Daocheng Yading Airport	4,411 metres (14,472 feet)	Guinness highest airport; operating civilian airport in Sichuan
2	Qamdo Bamda Airport	4,334 metres (14,219 feet)	Operating civilian airport in Tibet
3	Shigatse Tingri Airport	4,317 metres (14,163 feet)	Operating civilian airport, entered service in the early 2020s
4	Ngari Gunsa Airport	4,274 metres (14,022 feet)	Operating civilian airport in Ngari, Tibet
5	Ngari Burang Airport	4,250 metres (13,944 feet)	Opened 27 December 2023; operating civilian airport
6	Kangding Airport	4,238 metres (13,904 feet)	Later official Civil Aviation Administration and International Civil Aviation Organization figure; earlier published 4,280 metres labelled
7	Vicco Airport	4,103 metres (13,461 feet)	Operating public aerodrome in Peru; a 2026 modernization was authorized, not already completed as a new international airport
8	Garze Gesar Airport	4,068 metres (13,346 feet)	Operating civilian airport in Sichuan
9	El Alto International Airport	4,061 metres (13,323 feet)	Outstanding high-elevation international airport in this ten, serving La Paz
10	Shannan Longzi Airport	3,950 metres (12,959 feet)	Operating civilian airport in Tibet; PotosÃ, at 3,936 metres, sits just outside

1. Daocheng Yading Airport

Daocheng Yading Airport is first. Guinness World Records gives it the title of highest airport, at 4,411 metres, or 14,472 feet, above mean sea level ^[1]. Official Chinese accounts of the plateau airport use the same elevation. The figure is an official aerodrome elevation, not a nearby mountain summit, and not a silent combination with every other high airport in Garze Prefecture. This article records the official 4,411-metre Guinness and civil-aviation figure.

It is first as the outstanding official civilian elevation, a labelled Guinness fact, and the documentary centre of this ten ^[1]. A later official resurvey of the aerodrome reference point will belong in a revision of the cell.

Guinness World Records, and official Chinese civil-aviation accounts of the elevation, are the sources ^[1].

2. Qamdo Bamda Airport

Qamdo Bamda Airport, also called Bangda, is second, at 4,334 metres, or 14,219 feet ^[2]. The official elevation is below Daocheng Yading and above Shigatse Tingri, and it is not replaced here by a runway-length ranking, even though the high-elevation airport is also known for a very long runway. The figure is an official civilian aerodrome elevation, not a nearby pass height, and not a silent combination with Qamdo's later or planned fields.

It is second as the outstanding official 4,334-metre civilian elevation, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Daocheng Yading ^[2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of Qamdo Bamda Airport are the source ^[2].

3. Shigatse Tingri Airport

Shigatse Tingri Airport, also called Dingri, is third, at 4,317 metres, or 14,163 feet, after the airport entered civilian service in the early 2020s ^[2]. The official elevation is below Qamdo Bamda and above Ngari Gunsa. It is a different official airport from Shigatse Peace Airport, which stands much lower, at 3,782 metres, and is not used here as a silent substitute or as a combined Shigatse total ^[2]. This article records the official 4,317-metre figure.

It is third as the outstanding official 4,317-metre civilian elevation, a labelled early-2020s opening fact, and a necessary counterpart to Ngari Gunsa ^[2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of Shigatse Tingri Airport are the source ^[2].

4. Ngari Gunsa Airport

Ngari Gunsa Airport, serving Gar in Ngari, is fourth, at 4,274 metres, or 14,022 feet ^[2]. The official elevation is below Shigatse Tingri and above Ngari Burang. It is a different official airport from Ngari Burang, which opened later and stands at 4,250 metres, and the two Ngari airports are not added together as a silent combined total ^[2]^[3]. This article records the official 4,274-metre figure.

It is fourth as the outstanding official 4,274-metre civilian elevation, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Ngari Burang ^[2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of Ngari Gunsa Airport are the source ^[2].

5. Ngari Burang Airport

Ngari Burang Airport, also called Purang, is fifth, at 4,250 metres, or 13,944 feet, after opening on 27 December 2023 ^[2]^[3]. The official elevation is below Ngari Gunsa and, on later official tables, above Kangding. The airport is an operating civilian field, not a planned strip, and not a silent combination with Ngari Gunsa. This article records the official 4,250-metre figure and the official opening date.

It is fifth as the outstanding official 4,250-metre civilian elevation, a labelled 27 December 2023 opening fact, and a necessary counterpart to Kangding Airport ^[2]^[3]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of Ngari Burang Airport, including the 27 December 2023 opening, are the sources ^[2]^[3].

6. Kangding Airport

Kangding Airport is sixth at the later official elevation of 4,238 metres, or 13,904 feet, used in Civil Aviation Administration of China and International Civil Aviation Organization tables ^[2]^[4]. Earlier published figures of 4,280 metres would have placed the airport above Ngari Gunsa and Ngari Burang; this article records the later official 4,238-metre figure and labels the earlier 4,280-metre figure rather than using it as a silent replacement ^[4]. The official elevation is a civilian aerodrome figure, not a nearby mountain summit, and not a silent combination with Garze Gesar Airport.

It is sixth as the outstanding official 4,238-metre civilian elevation, a labelled later-table fact, and a necessary counterpart to Vicco Airport ^[2]^[4]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Civil Aviation Administration of China and International Civil Aviation Organization tables, with the earlier 4,280-metre figure labelled, are the sources ^[2]^[4].

7. Vicco Airport

Vicco Airport in the Peruvian Andes is seventh, at 4,103 metres, or 13,461 feet ^[2]^[5]. It is an operating public aerodrome, not a closed field, and not a planned airport that has not yet opened. In February 2026 Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications authorized a modernization, including a new paved runway and passenger facilities; that authorization is a construction approval, not evidence that the rebuilt international-style airport is already in service, and it does not change the official elevation used here ^[5]. This article records the official 4,103-metre elevation and labels the 2026 works.

It is seventh as the outstanding official 4,103-metre civilian elevation, a labelled public-aerodrome fact, and a necessary counterpart to Garze Gesar Airport ^[2]^[5]. A later official resurvey, or a later commissioning of the modernized field, will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard aerodrome accounts of Vicco Airport, and the February 2026 ministry authorization, are the sources ^[2]^[5].

8. Garze Gesar Airport

Garze Gesar Airport in Sichuan is eighth, at 4,068 metres, or 13,346 feet ^[2]. The official elevation is below Vicco and above El Alto International. The airport is an operating civilian field, not a silent combination with Kangding Airport, and not a nearby town elevation used as a substitute. This article records the official 4,068-metre figure.

It is eighth as the outstanding official 4,068-metre civilian elevation, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to El Alto International Airport ^[2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of Garze Gesar Airport are the source ^[2].

9. El Alto International Airport

El Alto International Airport, serving La Paz, is ninth, at 4,061 metres, or 13,323 feet ^[2]. It is the outstanding high-elevation international airport in this ten, and a ranking confined to international airports would place it much higher than ninth. The official elevation is a civilian aerodrome figure, not the official elevation of the city of La Paz, and not a silent combination with other Bolivian high airports such as PotosÃ. This article records the official 4,061-metre figure.

It is ninth as the outstanding official 4,061-metre international-airport elevation, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Shannan Longzi Airport ^[2]. A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of the cell.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of El Alto International Airport are the source ^[2].

10. Shannan Longzi Airport

Shannan Longzi Airport in Tibet is tenth, at 3,950 metres, or 12,959 feet ^[2]. Captain Nicolas Rojas Airport at PotosÃ, 3,936 metres, sits just outside this ten ^[2]. The official Longzi elevation is a civilian aerodrome figure, not a nearby valley floor, and not a silent combination with Lhasa Gonggar, which stands much lower at 3,570 metres. This article records the official 3,950-metre figure as the last named airport in the ranking.

It is tenth as the outstanding official 3,950-metre civilian elevation, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to El Alto International Airport ^[2]. A later official revision, or a later opened civilian field that belongs above 3,950 metres, will belong in a revision of the ten.

Official and standard civil-aviation accounts of Shannan Longzi Airport are the source ^[2].

Conclusion

A 2026 highest-airports list has to keep Daocheng Yading Airport at the official Guinness elevation of 4,411 metres, keep later official tables for Kangding at 4,238 metres rather than an earlier 4,280-metre figure, and refuse to treat a closed, military, or still-unopened field as a silent official cell ^[1]^[2]^[4]. Qamdo Bamda, Shigatse Tingri, Ngari Gunsa, Ngari Burang after its 27 December 2023 opening, Vicco as an operating public aerodrome, Garze Gesar, El Alto International, and Shannan Longzi complete a named ten in which official civilian elevation is stated in the open ^[2]^[3]^[5]. The useful habit is an official aerodrome elevation, a labelled operating status, and a refusal to mix a planned rebuild into a completed official field.

A later official resurvey will belong in a revision of a cell; it will not change the method. Those labelled official elevations are the spine of the list, and they will still be the spine after a later civil-aviation authority has restated an aerodrome reference point in a later year.