WORLD’S SMALLEST COMMERCIAL RUNWAY REBUILT – IN SABA, DUTCH CARIBBEAN

THE WORLD’S shortest commercially-operated runway has been rebuilt, with a new concrete surface replacing the previous degraded asphalt at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, on Saba, a Dutch Caribbean island.

The runway spans just 400 metres overlooking steep cliffs serving an island which is a dormant volcano with few stretches of flat land. The operator, Saba’s island government, has said that with Saba (population around 2,000) having no asphalt plant, longer-lasting concrete was a better financial choice. Saba contractor Hassell Enterprises completed the new runway last October (2018) and has since been expanding and renovating the terminal building, constructing a new entrance lounge, bar, a covered arrivals area and a zone for scanning checked luggage.