The 5 Shortest Runways in the Caribbean — and the Stunning Islands They Serve
You’re dropping fast. The ocean is coming up quick, and just ahead — it’s there. A sliver of asphalt clinging to the edge of a cliff, or cut between a ridge and the sea. This isn’t your average landing. It’s not supposed to be. These are the shortest commercial runways in the Caribbean, where flying is still an adventure and the runway is half the story. From Saba’s cliff-top landing to the legendary descent into St. Barth, here are five airstrips that defy the odds — and keep welcoming planes, pilots, and the intrepid travelers who make the trip.
Saba – Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB)
There is no runway in the Caribbean — or the world — quite like the one on Saba. Measuring just 400 meters (1,312 feet), it’s the shortest commercial runway anywhere on the planet. Wedged onto a cliffside with steep drops into the sea at both ends, the strip at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is the ultimate test of precision for pilots. Only specially certified planes like Winair’s Twin Otters are allowed to land here, and the descent feels more like dropping into a movie scene than arriving at a destination.
Claim to fame: The world’s shortest commercial runway — and one of the most dramatic approaches on Earth.
Les Saints, Terre-de-Haut Airport (LSS), Guadeloupe
Flying into Terre-de-Haut in Les Saintes feels like threading a needle in the middle of the Caribbean. The runway, just 544 meters (1,785 feet) long, is perched between green hills and turquoise water, accessible only to small aircraft and experienced pilots. There’s no commercial jet traffic here — just single-engine planes that descend steeply over a ridgeline before touching down on the tiny strip. The approach is so tight that most travelers arrive by ferry instead. However you arrive, it’s worth the trip, as it’s one of our favorite Caribbean islands, period.
Claim to fame: An ultra-short landing in one of the Caribbean’s most secluded and picturesque archipelagos.
St Barth — Gustaf III Airport (SBH) (also called Remy de Haenen Airport)
Perhaps the most famous short runway in the Caribbean, St. Barth’s Gustaf III Airport stretches just 646 meters (2,119 feet) from hillside to beach. Flights drop sharply over a hilltop roundabout — often passing just feet above traffic — and land with barely enough space to come to a stop before the sand of St. Jean Beach. It’s a favorite for plane spotters and thrill-seekers, and a rite of passage for any Caribbean aviation enthusiast. The best way to arrive there? Flying Tradewind Aviation out of San Juan on its Pilatus aircraft — the kind of high-tech planes you use for tight landings in the Swiss Alps.
Claim to fame: The legendary just-over-the-hill approach that’s become an icon of Caribbean flying (one where you often fly right over the roofs of cars circling a roundabout).
Culebra – Benjamín Rivera Noriega Airport (CPX), Puerto Rico
Approaching the tiny island of Culebra by air is a visual spectacle — the landing takes you over hills, through breezy crosswinds, and onto a narrow 792-meter (2,600-foot) runway just outside the island’s main village. It’s the only air gateway to what is almost certainly Puerto Rico’s most beautiful beach, Flamenco Beach, and while most visitors come by ferry, the flight is fast, thrilling, and unforgettable. Best way to get here? Cape Air.
Claim to fame: The gateway to Flamenco Beach, the most beautiful beach in Puerto Rico, with short landings and big views. Just note, there is just one proper hotel on the island, Club Seaborne (Rooms from $179).
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands — Taddy Bay International Airport
Flying into Virgin Gorda feels like you’re dropping onto a postcard. The 3,100-foot runway at Taddy Bay Airport is wedged between hills and sea, a narrow strip of gravel where only small aircraft dare to land. Most visitors still arrive by boat — and for good reason. It’s just the kind of raw, scenic arrival that feels like your own secret entrance to the BVI. Tradewind flies here, too, out of San Juan.
Claim to fame: A barefoot-style landing at one of the Caribbean’s most naturally stunning islands.
