Rodríguez Ballón International Airport — Arequipa, Peru

Known locally by its host city's nickname, the White City, Rodríguez Ballón International Airport carries the code AQP and serves Arequipa, Peru's second-most-populous city, named for its pale volcanic stone architecture. The field rises to 8,405 feet, ranking it among the higher-elevation international airports in South America, a factor that affects aircraft performance and can leave arriving visitors adjusting to thin mountain air. The airport's name commemorates Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón, an early Peruvian aviator who helped pioneer flight in the country. Despite operating just a single runway, AQP holds large-airport status thanks to its role connecting Arequipa to Lima and serving travelers heading onward to the Colca Canyon, one of the world's deepest canyons and a major draw for visitors to southern Peru. Frequent flights make air travel the practical choice given the long road distance separating Arequipa from the capital, and AQP absorbs the bulk of that traffic despite its modest single-runway footprint. Many visitors pass through this one airport without quite realizing how high above sea level they have actually landed.