Airport Runway Length Comparison (Meters)
Compare 12 airport runway paved lengths in meters, from the 3800 m Beijing Capital to the 5500 m Qamdo Bamda. Official FAA and airport data in a tool.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Capital 01 19 Shortest here at 3800 m. | 3,800 m (12,467.2 ft) | China ZBAA, north runway | CAAC AIP Beijing Capital: Runway 01/19 3800 m paved |
| Johannesburg OR Tambo 03L 21R Highveld heat needs length. | 4,421 m (14,504.6 ft) | South Africa FAOR, high altitude | ACSA OR Tambo AIP: Runway 03L/21R 4421 m paved |
| Edwards AFB 04R 22L Lakebed overruns run longer. | 4,572 m (15,000 ft) | USA California, paved test strip | USAF / FAA diagram Edwards AFB: 04R/22L 15024 ft (4572 m) paved |
| Madrid Torrejon Military dual use at 4818 m. | 4,818 m (15,807.1 ft) | Spain LETO, joint use | AENA Torrejon AIP: Runway 4818 m paved |
| Hamad Doha 16L 34R Gulf heat design at 4850 m. | 4,850 m (15,912.1 ft) | Qatar OTHH, west runway | QCAA Hamad AIP: Runway 16L/34R 4850 m paved |
| Denver 16R 34L 16000 ft pinned, 6 runways total. | 4,877 m (16,000.7 ft) | USA KDEN, longest in North America | FAA Denver: Runway 16R/34L 16000 ft (4877 m) paved |
| Upington 17 35 Built for 747 heavies at 4900 m. | 4,900 m (16,076.1 ft) | South Africa FAUP, hot and high | ACSA Upington AIP: Runway 17/35 4900 m paved |
| Gaviao Peixoto Test site at 4967 m. | 4,967 m (16,295.9 ft) | Brazil SBGP, Embraer test | DECEA Brazil AIP: Gaviao Peixoto runway 4967 m paved |
| Ulyanovsk Vostochny 02 20 Antonov base at 5000 m. | 5,000 m (16,404.2 ft) | Russia ULY, heavy cargo | Russian AIP Ulyanovsk Vostochny: Runway 02/20 5000 m paved |
| Shigatse Peace Matches Ulyanovsk at 5000 m. | 5,000 m (16,404.2 ft) | Tibet ZURK, high plateau | CAAC AIP Shigatse Peace: Runway 5000 m paved |
| Zhukovsky Ramenskoye 12 30 Europe longest paved at 5402 m. | 5,402 m (17,723.1 ft) | Russia ZIA, test and space backup | Russian AIP Zhukovsky: Runway 12/30 5402 m paved |
| Qamdo Bamda 14 32 Longest here at 5500 m. New airport uses 4500 m. | 5,500 m (18,044.6 ft) | Tibet ZUBD, historic longest | CAAC historic AIP Qamdo Bamda: Runway 14/32 5500 m paved |
About this converter
Paved runways run 3800 to 5500 m in this table. Beijing Capital at 3800 and Johannesburg at 4421 open the short end. Edwards paved at 4572, Torrejon at 4818, Hamad at 4850 and Denver at 4877 follow. Upington at 4900, Gaviao Peixoto at 4967, Ulyanovsk and Shigatse at 5000 each form the 5 km band. Zhukovsky at 5402 and Qamdo Bamda at 5500 close the long end. Every figure is paved length from FAA, CAAC, Russian AIP or airport diagrams. Lakebed overruns and closed strips stay out unless noted.
How to use it
Pick two runways and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try 1 Qamdo Bamda against Denver runways to see the 5500 to 4877 gap in meters or feet. Click any table row to load it as Entry A with amount 1.
Values pin paved length with displaced thresholds included per AIP. Qamdo Bamda lists 5500 m historic with a new 4500 m replacement airport, the table pins 5500 and notes the change. Edwards lists 4572 m paved with longer lakebed totals kept out. Denver lists 16000 ft for 16R/34L as the longest paved in North America. Altitude and heat explain why high sites need extra pavement.
FAQ
Which runway is longest here?
Qamdo Bamda 14/32 at 5500 m paved historic, per CAAC historic AIP.
How long is Denver 16R/34L?
4877 m paved (16000 ft), per FAA diagrams.
Why are high airports longer?
Thin air and heat cut lift, so Qamdo, Shigatse, Upington and Denver need extra pavement.
Do totals include overruns?
No. Paved length only per AIP. Lakebed totals at Edwards stay out.
Sources
- FAA Denver 16R/34L 16000 ft (4877 m); USAF Edwards AFB 04R/22L 15024 ft (4572 m)
- CAAC Beijing Capital 3800 m, Shigatse 5000 m and Qamdo Bamda 5500 m historic; Russian AIP Zhukovsky 5402 m and Ulyanovsk 5000 m
- ACSA Upington 4900 m and OR Tambo 4421 m; DECEA Gaviao Peixoto 4967 m; AENA Torrejon 4818 m; QCAA Hamad 4850 m
Last verified: 2026-10-07 · 12 entries
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