Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport — Abuja, Nigeria

Nnamdi Azikiwe served as Nigeria's first president after independence and later as a leading voice for pan-Africanism, and the airport serving Abuja, the purpose-built capital that replaced Lagos in 1991, bears his name today. At an elevation of 1,123 feet, on the plateau that defines Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, the airport's one runway carries the steady diplomatic, government, and business traffic drawn to the country's political center. Abuja was designed from scratch in the late 20th century, chosen partly for its central location and neutral ethnic geography compared to Lagos, and the airport has expanded repeatedly to keep pace with the city's rapid growth since then. Foreign embassies, federal ministries, and a growing corporate presence make Abuja's air traffic skew heavily toward business travelers rather than tourism. The airport has also seen its share of headline-making infrastructure projects, including a period when the runway itself required extensive rehabilitation, forcing flights to divert to nearby Kaduna for several weeks. For Nigeria's federal government and the diplomatic community, ABV functions as the country's second-most important gateway after Lagos.