Amanda LimAbandoned airports hold a quiet fascination. Runways stretch out to nowhere, control towers stand watch over empty tarmac, and silent halls recall busier days.
A few of these places remain accessible and surprisingly inviting to explore. Here’s a look at some of the world’s most interesting abandoned airports you can still visit, each with its own story to tell.
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Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
Image credit: DavidM1FLERéunion | Wikimedia
Kai Tak closed in 1998, ending decades of famous low-altitude landings between city blocks. Though the terminal has gone, part of its single runway lives on as Kai Tak Runway Park.
Today, people stroll by the water and look back at the skyline. Standing there, it’s easy to picture the aircraft that once swept so low they seemed to brush the rooftops.
Berlin Tempelhof Airport, Germany
Image credit: janniswerner via Canva Pro
Tempelhof closed in 2008, but it didn’t vanish from city life. Today, its vast airfield has become Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin’s beloved urban park. Locals cycle, skate and picnic on the old runways.
You can also join guided tours inside the grand 1930s terminal. There, you’ll see wartime bunkers, echoing halls and Cold War spaces left unchanged. It’s rare to walk through an airport that feels frozen in time yet open to everyone.
Croydon Airport, London, UK
Image credit: Croydon Airport Official Facebook
Croydon Airport shut its doors in 1959. Once, it was the world’s first purpose-built international airport. Its 1920s terminal and control tower still stand, now protected as historic buildings.
On the first Sunday each month, the Croydon Airport Visitor Centre opens to the public. Inside, you’ll find original departure boards and stories of early pilots who flew in the golden age of travel. It’s a modest site, yet full of charm.
Ellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece
Image credit: Reinout van Rees | Wikimedia
Closed in 2001, Ellinikon is now being transformed into The Ellinikon, a huge coastal redevelopment that will include Europe’s largest coastal park, even bigger than London’s Hyde Park.
Parts of the old runways and hangars will be kept as heritage features within the new design. The first phase, including the park itself, is expected to be completed around 2026–2027, while the entire project will continue into the 2030s. Although the site is currently under construction and off-limits, you can still glimpse traces of the airport’s past along the perimeter, hinting at its next chapter.
Stapleton International Airport control tower, Denver, USA
Image credit: flytecotower Official Instagram
Stapleton Airport closed in 1995, and while most of the site turned into housing, a single tower remained. In 2017, Punch Bowl Social opened a restaurant in the lower floors, but it closed in March 2020 and never returned.
In 2022, aviation-themed FlyteCo Brewing took over the space, preserving games and décor from its predecessor. Since November that year, visitors can sign up for weekly guided tours that climb 11 flights up the 164‑ft tower for panoramic views of Central Park Denver and the Rockies.
Floyd Bennett Field, New York City, USA
Image credit: Gmerrill | Wikimedia
Opened in 1931 as New York’s first municipal airport, Floyd Bennett Field later became a naval air station before going quiet in the 1970s. Today, its vast runways, Art Deco terminal and vintage hangars are part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Visitors can walk the cracked tarmac where historic flights once taxied, explore old buildings and even camp overnight. It feels like stepping into a forgotten chapter of the city’s history, yet it’s all surprisingly close to modern Brooklyn.
Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Quito, Ecuador
Image credit: Tedder | Wikimedia
High in the Andes, Quito’s old airport closed in 2013 when a new airport opened further from the city. The former runway became Parque Bicentenario, a sprawling public space where locals jog, cycle and skate.
What makes it special is the setting: a vast, open space surrounded by mountain peaks. It’s a striking example of how an airfield can find a new purpose without losing its past entirely.
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Why these places still capture us
Abandoned airports remind us how travel shapes our cities. Standing on an empty runway or inside a silent control tower, you get a sense of all the stories left behind.
Whether it’s cycling through Tempelhof, strolling down Kai Tak’s harbour runway, or sitting in Denver’s old tower with a drink in hand, these forgotten places prove that even after the last flight departs, there’s still something worth exploring.
