Bastia-Poretta International airport — Bastia, France

Bastia-Poretta International airport serves Bastia, Corsica's second-biggest city, from a coastal plain barely 26 feet above the Mediterranean, running a single runway. Corsica, an island that belongs to France but carries its own distinct culture and history, relies heavily on air travel for both tourism and everyday links back to the French mainland. Bastia sits on the island's northeastern shore, and the airport functions as one of two major gateways onto Corsica, alongside Ajaccio's airport across on the western coast. Traffic here climbs sharply during the summer tourist season as visitors head to Corsica's beaches and mountainous interior, then eases considerably once the winter months set in. The island's rugged terrain, a mix of coastline and mountains rising steeply straight from the sea, means flying remains the fastest way to reach Corsica compared with the far longer ferry crossings from mainland France and Italy. Many islanders themselves rely on this route too, treating the short hop to Nice or Marseille as routine as a bus ride for medical appointments or family visits on the mainland.