Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport — Anchorage, United States

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, identified worldwide by the code ANC, sits at just 152 feet above sea level and operates three runways on the edge of Anchorage, Alaska. Opened in 1951 as Anchorage International Airport, the facility was renamed in 2000 to honor longtime Alaska senator Ted Stevens. Its location on the great-circle route between North America, Asia, and Europe made it a critical refueling stop for jet aircraft during the decades before long-range planes could fly those distances nonstop, and airlines crossing the Pacific once routinely touched down here regardless of their final destination. That geography still pays off: since the late 1970s ANC has grown into one of the busiest cargo airports on the planet, with FedEx and UPS both running major sorting hubs from its ramps. Passenger service continues alongside the freighters, connecting Anchorage to the Lower 48 and to regional Alaska communities that depend on ANC for onward flights. Three runways let controllers keep both cargo and passenger traffic moving through Alaska's harsh weather.