Cavern City Air Terminal — Carlsbad, United States

The name Cavern City nods directly to Carlsbad's best-known attraction, and CNM serves as the aerial front door for visitors heading to Carlsbad Caverns National Park's vast limestone chambers as well as the rugged Guadalupe Mountains further south. Beyond tourism, the airport carries heavy charter and general aviation traffic tied to the oil and gas industry, since Carlsbad sits at the heart of the Permian Basin, one of the most productive petroleum-producing regions in the United States. Crews, engineers, and equipment supporting nearby drilling operations move through the field constantly, supplementing passenger service that has depended at times on federal Essential Air Service support to maintain a connection with larger hub airports such as Albuquerque or Dallas-Fort Worth.