closestAirport
Returns the airports nearest a coordinate, sorted by airport size then by distance. Requires lat and lon. Requires a premium subscription.
This record as markdown: /tools/com-api-ninjas-mcp/closestairport.md
What closestAirport does on API Ninjas
AI agents call closestAirport to retrieve information from API Ninjas without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
lat | number | Yes | Latitude of the search center, in decimal degrees. |
lon | number | Yes | Longitude of the search center, in decimal degrees. |
size | string | — | Restrict to airport size. |
limit | integer | — | Maximum number of results to return. Must be between 1 and 50. Default is 10. |
units | string | — | Distance units. Default is km. |
radius | number | — | Search radius in kilometres. Default is 50, maximum is 500. |
has_iata | string | — | Filter by whether the airport has an IATA code. |
min_runway_length | integer | — | Minimum runway length in feet. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why closestAirport is rated Low
Even though closestAirport only reads data, uncontrolled read access leaks sensitive information and racks up API costs: an agent caught in a retry loop can make thousands of calls a minute without anyone noticing.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs closestAirport safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and API Ninjas, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For closestAirport, this is the rule to start with:
closestAirport is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect API Ninjas, apply this rule, and every closestAirport call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about closestAirport
Returns the airports nearest a coordinate, sorted by airport size then by distance. Requires lat and lon. Requires a premium subscription. It is categorised as a Read tool in the API Ninjas MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
closestAirport accepts 8 parameters: lat, lon, size, limit, units, radius, has_iata, min_runway_length. Required: lat, lon. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the API Ninjas MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for closestAirport: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches API Ninjas. Nothing to install.
closestAirport is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the closestAirport rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for closestAirport. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
closestAirport is provided by the API Ninjas MCP server (https://mcp.api-ninjas.com/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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