2026 is set to welcome a few new airports worldwide, while others will showcase new and improved expansions, refurbishments and upgrades. So let’s take a look at what 2026 has planned to help meet the ever increasing demand for air travel.

Space…

You probably got excited about space airports with that picture? So I figured I would start there.

Actually, our current ‘space airport’ (the ISS) is being decommissioned, and this is set to take place in 2030 when it will ‘land’ back on Earth (somewhere in the South Pacific near Point Nemo).

They are sending new ones up though… and the first is set to launch in 2026.

Vast’s Haven-1 should be heading up in May 2026, while NASA’s Lunar Gateway is set to take to the skies beyond in 2027.

Noida International, India

DXN/VIND, also known as Jewar airport, “opened” in October 2025 but the first flights are only expected to start mid December 2025 onwards. The launch carriers will be domestic operators—IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa—with international operators set to start heading there later in 2026.

IndiGo, the inaugural carrier to use the airport, is expected to connect it with Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Goa and Kolkata initially, and internationally to the UAE, Southeast Asia and Europe later on.

It will serve the Uttar Pradesh region of India with its single 3900m runway 10/28. Positioned 100km from VIDP/Delhi airport this is going to help with capacity in what is a very congested region, with Noida planned to handle from 12 million passengers initially.

Western Sydney International, Australia

The first passengers should head through the doors of WSI/YSWS in spring 2026.

This airport goes by a few names—Nancy Bird Walton, Badgerys Creek and of course Western Sydney, and will serve the ‘Sydney Aerotropolis’ area of Greater Sydney. It is located 44km away from Sydney CBD and 41km from the current Sydney airport. It will provide a much needed additional option to support current YSSY/Sydney Kingsford airport which is restricted in how much it can expand due to its location.

Stage 1 consists of a single runway with plans for a second runway in the future. The terminal is 970,000sq ft and overall the airport is expected to be able to handle up to 10 million passengers annually, and up to 82 million by 2063.

Runway 05/23 is 3700m long and 60m wide, and will support CATIIIb instrument approaches both ends. Initially, the majority of operations are expected to be domestic flights and flights connecting to the Asia Pacific region. Code C aircraft (A320, 737, Embraer 190) operated by Qantas and JetStar will make up the majority. Singapore has announced they will be the first international carrier to head into YSWS. Air New Zealand will start their trans-Tasman route in 2027

The first aircraft to use the new airport however was the RFS Marie Bashir—a Boeing 737 Air Tanker registration N138CG—which touched down in October 2025 as part of their emergency services tests prior to opening.

Long Thanh International, Vietnam

Operations to LTH/VVLT are due to commence in the first half of 2026.

Positioned 40km east of Ho Chi Minh City, it will be the second major airport serving the busy Ho Chi Ming metropolitan area, alongside current airport VVTS/Tan Son Nhat airport.

Designed to serve a capacity of 100 million passengers annually and 5 million tonnes of cargo this will become the largest airport in Southeast Asia. Phase 1 of the airport construction includes two runways, a primary passenger terminal and cargo facilities enabling it to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 tonnes cargo.

Runways 05R/23L and 05L/23R are 4000m in length and 60m width, and will support CATII/III approaches, as well as being able to accommodate Code F aircraft (A380, Boeing 747-8).

The first technical flights to test the infrastructure and systems should be taking place throughout December 2025, with calibration flights already completed through September. Vietnam Airlines will likely be the first carrier to operate in, with plans for this to become their new hub. FedEx and UPS have also shown interest in shifting operations here.

Dholera International, India

Based in the Gujarat region, this airport should be opening in December 2026, and will serve the Ahmedabad area and help reduce congestion at the existing VAAH/Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (Ahmedabad) airport.

The planned airport will have a single 3200m runway and terminal which can handle some 12 million passengers, with further phases increasing capacity to 30 million.

As yet, not a whole lot more information on this, including no assigned IATA or ICAO code. Plans were initially delayed because of its proximity to VIDP/Delhi and challenges in ensuring no conflict between planned flight paths.

Greenland Airports

Two new airports are due to open (or rather one new, and one expansion) in Greenland in 2026 — Qaqortoq in April followed by Ilulissat in October. These are currently primarily served by Air Greenland on domestic routes.

BGQO/JJU is in southern Greenland and is expected to replace the current BGBW/Narsarsuaq airport which ceased operations in September. Air Greenland finished its seasonal Copenhagen route into BGBW on 25th September 2025, and Icelandair ceased its Keflavik route on the 30th. The new airport will have a 1500m runway which can support Dash-8 and equivalent sized aircraft.

BGJN/JAV airport is a minor international airport serving North and West Greenland. This is actually an expansion which will allow larger jets in from international destinations. The current 845m runway will increase to 2,200m x 60m, similar to the recent Nuuk expansion. Air Greenland hopes to operate an A320-200 in, but no mention yet of planned routes.

JFK New Terminal One

Not as exciting as a whole new airport, but there are currently three major international airports already serving this region. So JFK is undergoing a bit of a revamp and adding an addition terminal to support its operations.

Terminal One will provide 14 new gates, and 23 by 2030. If you like to track aircraft on the ground as well as in the air, then you will be able to watch most major international airlines heading to the new terminal parking stands from 2026.

Kuwait Terminal Two

Terminal Two is set to open in November 2026, providing capacity for 13 million passengers.

T2 is going to feature between 30 and 51 aircraft contact stands, and 28 terminal gates, including eight which can handle the A380. So far, Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways are the only announced to be planning to shift operations to the new terminal, but no doubt many international carriers will too.

Amsterdam Schiphol is ‘downsizing’

Yup, they are bringing in night restrictions, which will effectively see the airport close for 5 hours every night.

This was due to come in end of 2025, although I’m not sure it has. A recent announcement suggested that the airport will be limited to 478,000 movements though. This will coincide with the opening of EHLE/Lelystad airport for more traffic.

Lelystad will be a dual use (military and civilian) airport serving 10,000 movements (initially). It is due to “fully” open in 2027.

Lelystad has a single runway 05/23 which is 2,700m long. So big enough to handle a fair number of aircraft. The airport is around a 40 minute drive from Amsterdam, and about 1 hour 15 to Rotterdam so will be a useful airport for serving domestic and short haul traffic from Europe.