The list provided near the conslusion of this post shows those nations with ten or more heliports in 2012, as defined by the CIA. The heliport statistics from CIA’s World Factbook are based on the following criteria:

“The total number of heliports with hard-surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities including one or more of the following facilities: lighting, fuel, passenger handling, or maintenance. It includes former airports used exclusively for helicopter operations but excludes heliports limited to day operations and natural clearings that could support helicopter landings and takeoffs.”

It is important to distinguish between a heliport and a helipad. Based on the CIA’s definition, most helipads do not qualify as a heliport because they do not have the necessary maintenace and fueling facilities.

For urban and transportation planners, heliports can be a vital link from downtown and other critical transportation and business nodes to the international airport in densely populated and highly developed urban areas. A well-positioned heliport can ease the potential for costly time delays, missed flights, stress, or traffic congestion associated with surface transportation options. Air taxi services through a heliport should be considerd an important cog in the metropolitan transporation infrastructure for mega-urban centers and other large cities around the globe.

As is the case with airport runways, an obstruction clearance area is necessary to assure safe landings and takeoffs along heliport approach paths. As the graphic depicts below, generally, two flight directions are preferred for heliports, but this is not always possible in dense urban settings. At the top of the post is a photograph of the West 30th Street Heliport in Manhattan (see above). For West 30th Street, the Hudson River provides the clearest and and least obstructed route. Manhattan has two other heliports fronting the East River – one downtown near the financial district (see below) and the other at the end of East 34th Street.

According to the book Planning and Design of Airports, other factors that should be considered when planning, designing, and locating heliports include:

“Ease of access for potential passengers;



Noise considerations;



Access to surface transportation and parking;



Land aquisition costs;



Potential conflicts with other air traffic;



Potential turbulence and visibility restrictions; and



Availability of emergency landing areas.”

As mega-cities around the globe continue to grow upward and outward and land prices rise, heliports are an attractive option for improving linkages between downtown, other important business and economic development zones in the city, and the airport. Heliports can also be situated in remote places which may be virtually or completely inaccessible by airplanes. For example, who would have ever thought that Antarctica had more heliports in operation than Russia, India, Germany, or Japan? Below is the geographical list of heliports by nation.

Nations with 10 or more heliports

South Korea – 510

United States – 126

Indonesia – 76

China – 59 (including Hong Kong)

Antarctica – 53

Russia – 48

India – 41

Taiwan – 32

Canada – 27

New Zealand – 27

North Korea – 23

Pakistan – 24

Germany – 22

Iran – 21

Iraq – 20

Turkey – 20

Japan – 15

Brazil – 13

Afghanistan – 10

Saudi Arabia – 10

Spain – 10