Sardar Vallabh Patel International Airport — Ahmedabad, India

India's 'Iron Man,' Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is honored in the name of Ahmedabad's international airport for his role as the country's first deputy prime minister and home minister, a period during which he is credited with persuading and pressuring hundreds of princely states to join the newly independent Indian union rather than remain separate. Ahmedabad, Gujarat's largest city, sits along the Sabarmati River and served as a base for Mahatma Gandhi's independence movement, including the Sabarmati Ashram from which Gandhi launched the famous Salt March in 1930. A single runway 189 feet above sea level handles both domestic connections across India and a growing slate of international routes tied to Gujarat's textile, pharmaceutical, and diamond-processing industries. Gujarat has developed into one of India's most industrialized states, and Ahmedabad's airport traffic reflects that commercial weight, drawing business travelers alongside pilgrims visiting the city's historic mosques and Jain temples. The state's large diaspora population, particularly in the UK, US, and East Africa, also generates steady demand for long-haul connections back to Gujarat. As Gujarat's primary air gateway, AMD supports one of India's more economically dynamic regional economies.