Baotou Donghe International Airport — Baotou, China

Baotou Donghe International Airport serves Baotou, a major industrial city in China's Inner Mongolia region known for its steel production and rare earth mineral processing, drawing on deposits from the nearby Bayan Obo mining district. At an elevation of 3,321 feet, the field operates just one runway despite carrying a large-airport classification, moving both passenger and cargo traffic tied to the city's heavy industrial base. Other Inner Mongolian airports lie within a few hours' drive: Ordos Ejin Horo International sits about 119 kilometers away, Hohhot Baita International, serving the regional capital, is roughly 157 kilometers out, and Bayannur Tianjitai Airport is about 194 kilometers from Baotou. Baotou itself ranks among Inner Mongolia's largest cities by population, a scale that puts steady pressure on BAV to expand even though it still operates with just the one runway. From here, flights reach Beijing and other Chinese cities, supporting business travel tied to steel, rare earth, and manufacturing industries alongside more limited passenger demand typical of inland cities away from the coast. Cargo service tied to the mining and metals trade adds further traffic that a purely passenger-focused count would miss.