Distance from CBD and Age of the World's 30 Largest Airports

The older an airport, the more likely it is to be located near the center of the metropolitan area it serves. Many older, close-in airports have been replaced by suburban facilities. An extreme example is the replacement of Stapleton Airport, just 8 kilometers from downtown Denver, by the new Denver International, located 37 kilometers from downtown. The worst case is Narita Airport, which services Tokyo, but is 66 kilometers away. There were simply no other suitable sites closer.