Airports & Airlines Trivia

1. Named after two of the world's most famous adventurers, and often cited as one of the world's most dangerous airports, which has a runway that ends in a sheer mountain face?

From Quiz Where Pilots Dare: Tricky Airports Of The World

Answer: Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Nepal

Also known as Lukla Airport, it was named after Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing, the first men credited with reaching the summit of Mount Everest. The airport has a runway that extends to just 527 metres, so is suited only to helicopters and STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) aeroplanes. Situated at an elevation of 2,800 metres, that rock face at one end of the runway means there is no "go around". Only specially licensed pilots are permitted to land. You must have a record of 100 STOL missions and 10 landings on the airstrip under the supervision of an instructor. It is also listed as one of the world's most dangerous airports for crashes. The source for this question is airport-technology.com The three wrong answers were all made up by the quiz author.

From Quiz Whose Airport Is It Anyway?

Answer: George Best

George Best Belfast City Airport is based at what was originally the runway for the Short Brothers airport factory. It was used as a naval base during World War Two and later opened to civilian flights as Belfast Harbour Airport. On approach, the airport is dominated by two giant cranes at the Harland and Wolff shipyard. The shipyard had a long history, but will always be associated with the construction of the ill-fated RMS Titanic. To put to bed one ill-founded rumour: it was not the shipyard that claimed the Titanic was "unsinkable". George Best was born in Belfast and had a stellar footballing career with several football clubs in Great Britain and an international career with Northern Ireland. Those who saw him play classed him as one of the best European footballers of all time. In the 21st Century, when top footballers in England commanded salaries of over £100,000 (US$131,000) a week (you read that right) it is impossible to imagine what Best would have earned in that climate. By the end of 2019, the airport was handling 2.5m passengers a year.

From Quiz Grounded: Defunct Airlines of the World

Answer: Pan American

Pan American World Airways - "Pan Am" - first flew in 1927 and ceased operations in 1991. For many of those years Pan Am was an innovator, graduating from flying boats serving routes from Florida to Latin America to leading the way in jet travel. Pan Am became the first to use the Boeing 747, but by the end of the 1970s things began to look less rosy. High fuels costs hampered their operations. The company also was not permitted to operate domestic routes, so that was a revenue stream lost. In 1988 the terrorist attack that brought down Pan Am Flight 103, "Clipper Maid Of The Seas", a 747, over Lockerbie, Scotland, resulted in a $300m lawsuit. Some rivals claimed that Pan Am was losing $3 million a day in 1991.

From Quiz Radar Love

Answer: Delta Airlines

The aircraft was an Airbus 330-322 and was flying at 39,000 feet, so although I waved, I doubt anybody on board saw it. That flight has a total 'great circle route' distance of 4,166 miles, with 523 left after passing over my hometown in Northern Ireland. Founded in 1924, Delta has its headquarters at Atlanta, Georgia.

From Quiz Pan Am - Icon of an Era

Answer: Cuba

While plans for Pan American Airways, as it was called at the time, called for a service to Panama in an attempt to keep a German-owned airline out of the region, it actually entered service with a mail and passenger flight from Key West in Florida to Havana in Cuba. The original company structure was rather convoluted, with several subsidiaries each holding one key asset for operation such as landing rights, and, of course an airplane. The first Pan Am aircraft was a seaplane and for its early years, the company would exclusively rely on this kind of craft to provide its services.

From Quiz Qantas: Australia's Flag-Carrying Airline

Answer: Qantas is an acronym

Qantas is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Ariel Service. In Australia, there is a propensity to shorten names. The name quickly became Q.A.N.T.A.S. and soon after QANTAS. The company in time made the name "Qantas", one of the few words of English origin where there is a "Q" but no "u" following. Fergus McMaster, a grazier from Western Queensland met Paul McGinness when the former's car axle broke crossing the Cloncurry River. The two discussed the tyranny of distance and thought the future of travel in Australia was aviation. The two travelled to Sydney and ordered two Avro aeroplanes in the name of the Western Queensland Auto Aero Service. It was August 1920. The airline was soon started with its new name in November 1920 and by 1921, it had two planes: an Avro 504K and a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2E. . The company. They made ends meet by offering joy flights to willing passengers and by November 1921, they earned the contract for a scheduled airmail service between Charleville and Cloncurry. This was Australia's first scheduled air service. They moved their tiny office from Winton to the larger Charleville in central Queensland. (Eventually as the company got bigger, it moved to Brisbane then Sydney). Hudson Fysh, a WWII Australian Flying Corps decorated airman and pilot became manager in 1923 and oversaw the steady increase in size and workload of the fledgling airline.

From Quiz Airports Around the World

Answer: Gatwick

Gatwick was the first true "international airport". It was the birthplace of concourses and gates which are now a staple at every international airport. Before Gatwick, terminal buildings were little more than shanties, and planes parked on the field, which got muddy when it rained. A.M Jackaman came up with the concept of a telescoping canopy which extended from the terminal out to each parked aircraft on the ramp. As Gatwick grew he built more, and the concept of a concourse and gates were born.

From Quiz You Are Now Free to Move About The Country

Answer: Texas

Southwest had its first flight in 1971; however, all of their routes were within Texas. The reasoning behind this was for economic and political reasons: the airline would be exempt by price controls from the federal Civil Aeronautics Board, and that the airline could maintain competitive pricing.

From Quiz Crazy Things Found by Airport Security

Answer: Tiger

Customs became suspicious of the woman's extra-large suitcase and were shocked when they discovered, nestled among a pile of stuffed toys, a heavily-sedated two-month-old tiger cub. At first, the woman denied owning the bag, but later admitted she'd been planning to sell the cub as an exotic pet on the Iranian black market. Fortunately, the cub was sent to a wildlife park instead.

From Quiz Flying Your Flags Around the World

Answer: British Airways

British Airways was initially composed of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (for the overseas routes) and British European Airways (for the European routes). BEA was originally a BOAC subsidiary formed during WWII, then became an independent company. In 1974, they merged to form British Airways.

From Quiz Airplanes, Airlines & Airports - U.S.A.

Answer: ATL - Atlanta

According to the Airport Council International, Atlanta had over 96 million passengers in 2014. Followed by Beijing (2nd-86 Mil), London (3rd-73 Mil), Tokyo (4th-72 Mil) and Los Angeles (5th-70 Mil). Chicago (7th-70 Mil ) and Dallas-Fort Worth (9th-63 Mil) are also in the top 10.

From Quiz Airline Hubs

Answer: Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich

Lufthansa is the largest airline in Europe and a founding member of Star Alliance. It flies to more than 200 destinations in 78 countries across Africa, North and South America, Asia, and Europe.

From Quiz Famous Names, Famous Airports

Answer: Costa Rica

Juan Santamaria is famous for his heroism at the Second Battle of Rivas in 1856. He is regarded by many as a national hero of Costa Rica, and every April 11th, Costa Rica celebrates Juan Santamaria Day in remembrance of him. Juan Santamaria International Airport is located in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Its IATA code is SJO.

From Quiz Please Remain Seated

Answer: Florence

The airport is the only airport servicing the Florence area, located on the northern side of the city. The airport is used mostly for travel inside Europe, with airlines KLM and Lufthansa operating out of the airport. Globetrotters need to trot over to Pisa to use the Galileo Galilei International Airport to travel elsewhere. The airport was named after Amerigo Vespucci, Italian cartographer and discoverer of America, in 1990.

From Quiz Airlines and Airways of the World

Answer: Air Pacific

The company was known as Fiji Airways prior to 1971, where the name was changed to Air Pacific. The original name was then reinstated in May 2012.

From Quiz What A Name to Call an Airport

Answer: Turkey

This airport opened in Istanbul in 1924 and in 1980 was renamed Ataturk International Airport. At its height, the airport had approximately 45 million people travelling though it every year, and was listed by the Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in that country. However, it eventually outgrew its site, and in 2019 a brand new Istanbul Airport opened, and all scheduled passenger flights were transferred there, leaving Ataturk Airport to handle cargo, maintenance and small business aircraft. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born in 1881 and died in 1938. He was an officer in the Ottoman and Turkish army. His surname, Ataturk, means "Father of the Turks" and was granted to him in 1934 by the Turkish Parliament. The name is forbidden to be used by anybody else. He led the Turkish nation in the War of Independence against the Allies following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, and established a provisional government. He introduced reforms to change the Ottoman Empire into a modern European nation. The code for this airport is ISL.

From Quiz The AICM, Mexico City International Airport

Answer: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de Mexico

It means Mexico City International Airport. It is also referred to as Benito Juarez International Airport, as an honor to him, a former and very important President of Mexico.

From Quiz Fly African

Answer: South African Airways (SAA)

S.A.A flies to more than thirty destinations worldwide and its main hub is at O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. S.A.A is a member of the Star Alliance group (world class airlines such as Lufthansa and Air Canada, to name a few, are members of this group) and also owns the low-cost airline called Mango.

From Quiz Indian Aviation

Answer: Tata Airlines

Tata Airlines was a division of The Tata Sons. Founded in 1932 by J.R.D Tata, this airline first began as a post service. Post WWII, it changed its name to 'Air India'. In 1948, 49% of the company was acquired by the government of India by force and another 2% was purchased. In turn, the airline was allowed to operate international flights. It is now owned by the government and is the flag carrier of India.

From Quiz Airline CEOs Past and Present

Answer: Robert Six

If one city knew "The Boss" was headed for another, they would send a telex to that station with nothing but 666666666666666666.

From Quiz Guess the airline by its livery and logo

Answer: Blue

Royal blue is the dominant colour on KLM aircraft, although a dark blue stripe and white also feature. The full name of the airline means Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Royal Aviation Company). Even though orange is the main colour associated with the Dutch royalty, the airline chose blue, possibly because blue is commonly most closely associated with royalty, or it may refer to the blue sky.

From Quiz United Airlines

Answer: Continental Airlines

United Airlines retained this title until American Airlines completed their merger with US Airways in 2014, overtaking United as the world's largest airline.

From Quiz Airlines and Airports

Answer: JetBlue

JetBlue Airways was founded in 1999 and had its first flight flew on February 11, 2000. It flies from its main hub in New York JFK, which has been its hub since it started. AirTran Airways was founded in 1992 and had its first flight was on October 26, 1993. It flies from its main hub in Atlanta. Allegiant Air was founded in 1997 as WestJet Airways, and had its first flight in June of 1998. It flies from its main focus city in Las Vegas. USA 3000 Airlines was founded in the year 2000.

From Quiz Who is This Airport Named After? Part III

Answer: Jakarta, Indonesia

Halim Perdanakusuma was a hero of the Indonesian independence movement. Halim Perdanakusuma Airport has been replaced by Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as the main international airport in Indonesia. Airport code: HLP/WIHH

From Quiz Who is This Airport Named After? Part I

Answer: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Luis Muñoz Marín (1898-1980) was the first elected Puerto Rican Governor of Puerto Rico. (Airport Code: SJU)

From Quiz I Want To Be an Airport!

Answer: Idlewild

The airport was renamed in 1963 in honour of the recently assassinated president. The airport is situated in Jamaica in the Queens area of the city. Newark and LaGuardia are two other airports that serve New York City. LaGuardia is named after Fiorello LaGuardia, a former mayor of the city. Prior to taking this name it was named after Glenn Curtiss, a pioneer in the field of aviation.

From Quiz Airlines of the World

Answer: KLM

Qantas was set up in 1920, Northwest and Lufthansa were both set up in 1926 and KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) was set up on October 7, 1919. KLM is now a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group after being bought by Air France in 2004, however it is still operating under its own name.

From Quiz Airline Hubs

Answer: Dubai

Emirates offers elite premium class lounges and dedicated check-ins at Dubai International Airport. The city of Dubai is the second largest state in the United Arab Emirates.

From Quiz Los Angeles International

Answer: LAX

This code is also the acknowledged nickname of the airport. There are huge letters as one enters the airport that say "LAX."

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Last Updated Jun 30 2025 1:11 PM

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