4 ms·

Linked + google earthed and zoomed in: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ile+Tromelin/@-15.8926233,54.5226545,1845m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x22326be19257779f:0

• scoot 11y ago
  Why does an island which is barely long enough to support a runway need a runway?!
  • enraged_camel 11y ago
    Such runways are built in order to provide an emergency landing zone for trans-oceanic flights.
  • oska 11y ago
    Because even small islands in the Indian Ocean have strategic value (especially one with a permanent source of water). And because flying in is a lot easier than getting there by sea.
  • sandworm101 11y ago
    Because flying a three-man team to such an island is often much cheaper/easier/safer/faster than boating them in. And when people are hurt, getting them out by plane is the only life-sustaining option. Broken bones do not do well in small boats. (See the OP for issues surrounding getting people in and out of this place by boat.) A more extreme example would be oil rigs (tiny island) that are serviced more often by helicopters than boats.
• ufmace 11y ago
  I like how the island is in a teeny little spot of hi-res imagery in a low-res ocean.