diff --git a/server/src/db/database.ts b/server/src/db/database.ts
index f8642446e..6270d5ad4 100644
--- a/server/src/db/database.ts
+++ b/server/src/db/database.ts
@@ -167,12 +167,6 @@ function isOwner(tripId: number | string, userId: number): boolean {
   return !!db.prepare('SELECT id FROM trips WHERE id = ? AND user_id = ?').get(tripId, userId);
 }
 
-try {
-  const { backfillFlightEndpoints } = require('../services/airportService');
-  backfillFlightEndpoints();
-} catch (err) {
-  console.error('[DB] Flight endpoint backfill failed:', err);
-}
 
 export { db, closeDb, reinitialize, getPlaceWithTags, canAccessTrip, isOwner };
 export type { TripAccess, PlaceWithTags };
diff --git a/server/src/mcp/tools/mapsWeather.ts b/server/src/mcp/tools/mapsWeather.ts
index 4da4e4a7c..34219b352 100644
--- a/server/src/mcp/tools/mapsWeather.ts
+++ b/server/src/mcp/tools/mapsWeather.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp';
 import { z } from 'zod';
-import { findByIata, searchAirports } from '../../services/airportService';
+import { findByIata, searchAirports } from '../../nest/airports/airports.data';
 import { getWeather, getDetailedWeather } from '../../services/weatherService';
 import {
   TOOL_ANNOTATIONS_READONLY,
diff --git a/server/src/mcp/tools/transports.ts b/server/src/mcp/tools/transports.ts
index c94535490..b60b076e9 100644
--- a/server/src/mcp/tools/transports.ts
+++ b/server/src/mcp/tools/transports.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import {
 } from '../../nest/reservations/reservations.bridge';
 import { linkBudgetItemToReservation } from '../../nest/budget/budget.bridge';
 import { getDay } from '../../nest/days/days.bridge';
-import { findByIata } from '../../services/airportService';
+import { findByIata } from '../../nest/airports/airports.data';
 import {
   safeBroadcast, TOOL_ANNOTATIONS_DELETE, TOOL_ANNOTATIONS_NON_IDEMPOTENT,
   TOOL_ANNOTATIONS_WRITE, demoDenied, noAccess, ok, hasTripPermission, permissionDenied,
diff --git a/server/src/nest/airports/airports.data.ts b/server/src/nest/airports/airports.data.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..99390a2ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/nest/airports/airports.data.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+/**
+ * The bundled airport dataset — a JSON file read once and kept in memory.
+ *
+ * Free functions rather than a provider: nothing here touches the database, and
+ * the two MCP registrars (mcp/tools/mapsWeather.ts, mcp/tools/transports.ts)
+ * call them from outside the container. AirportsService is the in-container
+ * face; the DB-touching backfill lives there.
+ */
+export interface Airport {
+  iata: string;
+  icao: string | null;
+  name: string;
+  city: string;
+  country: string;
+  lat: number;
+  lng: number;
+  tz: string;
+}
+
+let cache: Airport[] | null = null;
+let byIata: Map<string, Airport> | null = null;
+
+export function load(): Airport[] {
+  if (cache) return cache;
+  const file = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', 'assets', 'airports.json');
+  if (!fs.existsSync(file)) {
+    console.warn('[airports] airports.json missing — run `node scripts/build-airports.mjs`');
+    cache = [];
+    byIata = new Map();
+    return cache;
+  }
+  const raw = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8');
+  cache = JSON.parse(raw) as Airport[];
+  byIata = new Map(cache.map(a => [a.iata, a]));
+  return cache;
+}
+
+export function findByIata(code: string): Airport | null {
+  load();
+  return byIata!.get(code.toUpperCase()) ?? null;
+}
+
+export function searchAirports(query: string, limit = 12): Airport[] {
+  const all = load();
+  const q = query.trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (!q) return [];
+
+  const upper = q.toUpperCase();
+  if (q.length === 3) {
+    const exact = byIata!.get(upper);
+    if (exact) return [exact];
+  }
+
+  const matches: Array<{ a: Airport; score: number }> = [];
+  for (const a of all) {
+    let score = 0;
+    if (a.iata === upper) score = 100;
+    else if (a.icao === upper) score = 90;
+    else if (a.iata.startsWith(upper)) score = 70;
+    else if (a.city.toLowerCase().startsWith(q)) score = 60;
+    else if (a.name.toLowerCase().startsWith(q)) score = 50;
+    else if (a.city.toLowerCase().includes(q)) score = 30;
+    else if (a.name.toLowerCase().includes(q)) score = 20;
+    if (score > 0) matches.push({ a, score });
+  }
+  matches.sort((x, y) => y.score - x.score || x.a.iata.localeCompare(y.a.iata));
+  return matches.slice(0, limit).map(m => m.a);
+}
diff --git a/server/src/nest/airports/airports.module.ts b/server/src/nest/airports/airports.module.ts
index ca7f72797..d95ed185b 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/airports/airports.module.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/airports/airports.module.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
 import { AirportsController } from './airports.controller';
 import { AirportsService } from './airports.service';
+import { DatabaseModule } from '../database/database.module';
 
-/** Airports domain (L2 leaf module). Registered in AppModule. */
+/** Airports domain (L2 leaf module). Registered in AppModule.
+ *  DatabaseModule is imported explicitly: the flight-endpoint backfill needs the
+ *  connection, and @Global only reaches modules that are in the graph — which
+ *  the airports e2e TestingModule is not. */
 @Module({
+  imports: [DatabaseModule],
   controllers: [AirportsController],
   providers: [AirportsService],
 })
diff --git a/server/src/nest/airports/airports.service.ts b/server/src/nest/airports/airports.service.ts
index 934e2e214..2d6a7d7b1 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/airports/airports.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/airports/airports.service.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,29 @@
-import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { Injectable, OnApplicationBootstrap } from '@nestjs/common';
 import type { Airport } from '@trek/shared';
-import { searchAirports, findByIata } from '../../services/airportService';
+import { searchAirports, findByIata, load } from './airports.data';
+import { DatabaseService } from '../database/database.service';
 
 /**
- * Thin Nest wrapper around the existing airport service. It delegates to the
- * same `searchAirports` / `findByIata` functions the legacy route uses, so the
- * in-memory dataset and lookup behaviour stay identical and unduplicated.
+ * The in-container face of the airport dataset, plus the flight-endpoint
+ * backfill that needs the database.
+ *
+ * The backfill used to run from db/database.ts at module load, through a
+ * require() back into services/ — a cycle that only held because `db` happened
+ * to be initialised by then. It runs on application bootstrap now: it repairs
+ * rows, nothing boots on it, and the container is fully built by that point.
  */
 @Injectable()
-export class AirportsService {
+export class AirportsService implements OnApplicationBootstrap {
+  constructor(private readonly db: DatabaseService) {}
+
+  onApplicationBootstrap(): void {
+    try {
+      this.backfillFlightEndpoints();
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error('[DB] Flight endpoint backfill failed:', err);
+    }
+  }
+
   search(query: string): Airport[] {
     return searchAirports(query) as Airport[];
   }
@@ -16,4 +31,49 @@ export class AirportsService {
   findByIata(code: string): Airport | null {
     return findByIata(code) as Airport | null;
   }
+
+  backfillFlightEndpoints(): void {
+    const pending = this.db.prepare(`
+      SELECT r.id, r.metadata, r.reservation_time, r.reservation_end_time
+      FROM reservations r
+      WHERE r.type = 'flight'
+        AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM reservation_endpoints e WHERE e.reservation_id = r.id)
+    `).all() as { id: number; metadata: string | null; reservation_time: string | null; reservation_end_time: string | null }[];
+
+    if (pending.length === 0) return;
+
+    load();
+    const insert = this.db.prepare(`
+      INSERT INTO reservation_endpoints (reservation_id, role, sequence, name, code, lat, lng, timezone, local_time, local_date)
+      VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
+    `);
+    const markReview = this.db.prepare('UPDATE reservations SET needs_review = 1 WHERE id = ?');
+
+    let filled = 0;
+    let flagged = 0;
+    for (const r of pending) {
+      if (!r.metadata) { markReview.run(r.id); flagged++; continue; }
+      let meta: any;
+      try { meta = JSON.parse(r.metadata); } catch { markReview.run(r.id); flagged++; continue; }
+
+      const dep = meta.departure_airport ? findByIata(String(meta.departure_airport).slice(0, 3)) : null;
+      const arr = meta.arrival_airport ? findByIata(String(meta.arrival_airport).slice(0, 3)) : null;
+
+      if (!dep || !arr) { markReview.run(r.id); flagged++; continue; }
+
+      const split = (iso: string | null) => {
+        if (!iso) return { date: null as string | null, time: null as string | null };
+        const [date, time] = iso.split('T');
+        return { date: date || null, time: time ? time.slice(0, 5) : null };
+      };
+      const depParts = split(r.reservation_time);
+      const arrParts = split(r.reservation_end_time);
+
+      insert.run(r.id, 'from', 0, dep.city ? `${dep.city} (${dep.iata})` : dep.name, dep.iata, dep.lat, dep.lng, dep.tz, depParts.time, depParts.date);
+      insert.run(r.id, 'to', 1, arr.city ? `${arr.city} (${arr.iata})` : arr.name, arr.iata, arr.lat, arr.lng, arr.tz, arrParts.time, arrParts.date);
+      filled++;
+    }
+
+    console.log(`[airports] Backfill: ${filled} filled, ${flagged} flagged for review`);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/nest/auth/auth.service.ts b/server/src/nest/auth/auth.service.ts
index e60343206..d2e47795d 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/auth/auth.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/auth/auth.service.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import { revokeUserSessions } from '../../mcp/sessionManager';
 import { startTripReminders } from '../../scheduler';
 import { deleteUserCompletely } from '../../services/userCleanupService';
 import { emitUserDeleted } from '../../plugin-user-lifecycle';
-import { getFlightDistanceKm } from '../../services/distanceService';
+import { haversineKm } from '../common/geo';
 import { verifyJwtAndLoadUser } from './jwt-verify';
 import { User } from '../../types';
 import { DEMO_EMAIL_PRIMARY, isDemoEmail } from '../common/demo';
@@ -991,10 +991,41 @@ export class AuthService {
       totalTrips: tripStats?.trips || 0,
       totalDays: tripStats?.days || 0,
       totalPlaces: places.length,
-      totalDistanceKm: getFlightDistanceKm(userId),
+      totalDistanceKm: this.flightDistanceKm(userId),
     };
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Total flight distance a user has covered, summed across every non-cancelled
+   * flight reservation in their trips. Each flight stores its waypoints in
+   * reservation_endpoints (from → stops → to, ordered by sequence); the legs
+   * between consecutive points are added up so multi-stop flights count
+   * correctly.
+   */
+  private flightDistanceKm(userId: number): number {
+    const rows = this.db.all<{ reservation_id: number; lat: number; lng: number }>(`
+      SELECT re.reservation_id, re.lat, re.lng
+      FROM reservation_endpoints re
+      JOIN reservations r ON r.id = re.reservation_id
+      JOIN trips t ON t.id = r.trip_id
+      LEFT JOIN trip_members tm ON tm.trip_id = t.id AND tm.user_id = ?
+      WHERE (t.user_id = ? OR tm.user_id IS NOT NULL)
+        AND r.type = 'flight'
+        AND r.status != 'cancelled'
+      ORDER BY re.reservation_id, re.sequence
+    `, userId, userId);
+
+    let total = 0;
+    let prev: { id: number; lat: number; lng: number } | null = null;
+    for (const point of rows) {
+      if (prev && prev.id === point.reservation_id) {
+        total += haversineKm(prev.lat, prev.lng, point.lat, point.lng);
+      }
+      prev = { id: point.reservation_id, lat: point.lat, lng: point.lng };
+    }
+    return Math.round(total);
+  }
+
   // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
   // MFA
   // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/server/src/nest/booking-import/kitinerary-mapper.ts b/server/src/nest/booking-import/kitinerary-mapper.ts
index b6b524993..71e2a28a1 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/booking-import/kitinerary-mapper.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/booking-import/kitinerary-mapper.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { findByIata } from '../../services/airportService';
+import { findByIata } from '../airports/airports.data';
 import type {
   KiReservation, KiFlight, KiTrainTrip, KiBusTrip, KiBoatTrip,
   KiLodgingBusiness, KiFoodEstablishment, KiRentalCar, KiEvent,
diff --git a/server/src/nest/common/geo.ts b/server/src/nest/common/geo.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a6348d57f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/nest/common/geo.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+/** Great-circle distance between two points in kilometres. */
+export function haversineKm(lat1: number, lng1: number, lat2: number, lng2: number): number {
+  const R = 6371;
+  const toRad = (deg: number) => (deg * Math.PI) / 180;
+  const dLat = toRad(lat2 - lat1);
+  const dLng = toRad(lng2 - lng1);
+  const a =
+    Math.sin(dLat / 2) ** 2 +
+    Math.cos(toRad(lat1)) * Math.cos(toRad(lat2)) * Math.sin(dLng / 2) ** 2;
+  return R * 2 * Math.atan2(Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1 - a));
+}
diff --git a/server/src/nest/transit/transit-itinerary.helpers.ts b/server/src/nest/transit/transit-itinerary.helpers.ts
index bb75fe3b2..edb34c8b5 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/transit/transit-itinerary.helpers.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/transit/transit-itinerary.helpers.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * transit.mcp.ts's @Tool inputSchema decorators, which evaluate at module
  * load — before any DI container exists — so they must stay module-level.
  */
-import { haversineKm } from '../../services/distanceService';
+import { haversineKm } from '../common/geo';
 import type { EndpointInput } from '../reservations/reservations.service';
 import { localParts, resolveTimeZone } from '../common/timezoneService';
 import { deriveTransitStats, type TransitItinerary, type TransitLeg } from './transit.helpers';
diff --git a/server/src/services/airportService.ts b/server/src/services/airportService.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index a5745d31b..000000000
--- a/server/src/services/airportService.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,109 +0,0 @@
-import fs from 'node:fs';
-import path from 'node:path';
-import { db } from '../db/database';
-
-export interface Airport {
-  iata: string;
-  icao: string | null;
-  name: string;
-  city: string;
-  country: string;
-  lat: number;
-  lng: number;
-  tz: string;
-}
-
-let cache: Airport[] | null = null;
-let byIata: Map<string, Airport> | null = null;
-
-function load(): Airport[] {
-  if (cache) return cache;
-  const file = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'assets', 'airports.json');
-  if (!fs.existsSync(file)) {
-    console.warn('[airports] airports.json missing — run `node scripts/build-airports.mjs`');
-    cache = [];
-    byIata = new Map();
-    return cache;
-  }
-  const raw = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8');
-  cache = JSON.parse(raw) as Airport[];
-  byIata = new Map(cache.map(a => [a.iata, a]));
-  return cache;
-}
-
-export function findByIata(code: string): Airport | null {
-  load();
-  return byIata!.get(code.toUpperCase()) ?? null;
-}
-
-export function searchAirports(query: string, limit = 12): Airport[] {
-  const all = load();
-  const q = query.trim().toLowerCase();
-  if (!q) return [];
-
-  const upper = q.toUpperCase();
-  if (q.length === 3) {
-    const exact = byIata!.get(upper);
-    if (exact) return [exact];
-  }
-
-  const matches: Array<{ a: Airport; score: number }> = [];
-  for (const a of all) {
-    let score = 0;
-    if (a.iata === upper) score = 100;
-    else if (a.icao === upper) score = 90;
-    else if (a.iata.startsWith(upper)) score = 70;
-    else if (a.city.toLowerCase().startsWith(q)) score = 60;
-    else if (a.name.toLowerCase().startsWith(q)) score = 50;
-    else if (a.city.toLowerCase().includes(q)) score = 30;
-    else if (a.name.toLowerCase().includes(q)) score = 20;
-    if (score > 0) matches.push({ a, score });
-  }
-  matches.sort((x, y) => y.score - x.score || x.a.iata.localeCompare(y.a.iata));
-  return matches.slice(0, limit).map(m => m.a);
-}
-
-export function backfillFlightEndpoints(): void {
-  const pending = db.prepare(`
-    SELECT r.id, r.metadata, r.reservation_time, r.reservation_end_time
-    FROM reservations r
-    WHERE r.type = 'flight'
-      AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM reservation_endpoints e WHERE e.reservation_id = r.id)
-  `).all() as { id: number; metadata: string | null; reservation_time: string | null; reservation_end_time: string | null }[];
-
-  if (pending.length === 0) return;
-
-  load();
-  const insert = db.prepare(`
-    INSERT INTO reservation_endpoints (reservation_id, role, sequence, name, code, lat, lng, timezone, local_time, local_date)
-    VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
-  `);
-  const markReview = db.prepare('UPDATE reservations SET needs_review = 1 WHERE id = ?');
-
-  let filled = 0;
-  let flagged = 0;
-  for (const r of pending) {
-    if (!r.metadata) { markReview.run(r.id); flagged++; continue; }
-    let meta: any;
-    try { meta = JSON.parse(r.metadata); } catch { markReview.run(r.id); flagged++; continue; }
-
-    const dep = meta.departure_airport ? findByIata(String(meta.departure_airport).slice(0, 3)) : null;
-    const arr = meta.arrival_airport ? findByIata(String(meta.arrival_airport).slice(0, 3)) : null;
-
-    if (!dep || !arr) { markReview.run(r.id); flagged++; continue; }
-
-    const split = (iso: string | null) => {
-      if (!iso) return { date: null as string | null, time: null as string | null };
-      const [date, time] = iso.split('T');
-      return { date: date || null, time: time ? time.slice(0, 5) : null };
-    };
-    const depParts = split(r.reservation_time);
-    const arrParts = split(r.reservation_end_time);
-
-    insert.run(r.id, 'from', 0, dep.city ? `${dep.city} (${dep.iata})` : dep.name, dep.iata, dep.lat, dep.lng, dep.tz, depParts.time, depParts.date);
-    insert.run(r.id, 'to', 1, arr.city ? `${arr.city} (${arr.iata})` : arr.name, arr.iata, arr.lat, arr.lng, arr.tz, arrParts.time, arrParts.date);
-    filled++;
-  }
-
-  console.log(`[airports] Backfill: ${filled} filled, ${flagged} flagged for review`);
-}
diff --git a/server/src/services/distanceService.ts b/server/src/services/distanceService.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 4b29dd885..000000000
--- a/server/src/services/distanceService.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-import { db } from '../db/database';
-
-// Great-circle distance between two points in kilometres.
-export function haversineKm(lat1: number, lng1: number, lat2: number, lng2: number): number {
-  const R = 6371;
-  const toRad = (deg: number) => (deg * Math.PI) / 180;
-  const dLat = toRad(lat2 - lat1);
-  const dLng = toRad(lng2 - lng1);
-  const a =
-    Math.sin(dLat / 2) ** 2 +
-    Math.cos(toRad(lat1)) * Math.cos(toRad(lat2)) * Math.sin(dLng / 2) ** 2;
-  return R * 2 * Math.atan2(Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1 - a));
-}
-
-/**
- * Total flight distance a user has covered, summed across every non-cancelled
- * flight reservation in their trips. Each flight stores its waypoints in
- * reservation_endpoints (from → stops → to, ordered by sequence); we add up the
- * legs between consecutive points so multi-stop flights count correctly.
- */
-export function getFlightDistanceKm(userId: number): number {
-  const rows = db.prepare(`
-    SELECT re.reservation_id, re.lat, re.lng
-    FROM reservation_endpoints re
-    JOIN reservations r ON r.id = re.reservation_id
-    JOIN trips t ON t.id = r.trip_id
-    LEFT JOIN trip_members tm ON tm.trip_id = t.id AND tm.user_id = ?
-    WHERE (t.user_id = ? OR tm.user_id IS NOT NULL)
-      AND r.type = 'flight'
-      AND r.status != 'cancelled'
-    ORDER BY re.reservation_id, re.sequence
-  `).all(userId, userId) as { reservation_id: number; lat: number; lng: number }[];
-
-  let total = 0;
-  let prev: { id: number; lat: number; lng: number } | null = null;
-  for (const point of rows) {
-    if (prev && prev.id === point.reservation_id) {
-      total += haversineKm(prev.lat, prev.lng, point.lat, point.lng);
-    }
-    prev = { id: point.reservation_id, lat: point.lat, lng: point.lng };
-  }
-  return Math.round(total);
-}
diff --git a/server/tests/e2e/airports.e2e.test.ts b/server/tests/e2e/airports.e2e.test.ts
index 83a1ad470..834223abe 100644
--- a/server/tests/e2e/airports.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/server/tests/e2e/airports.e2e.test.ts
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ const { db } = vi.hoisted(() => {
 vi.mock('../../src/db/database', () => ({ db, closeDb: () => {}, reinitialize: () => {} }));
 
 const { mockSearch, mockFindByIata } = vi.hoisted(() => ({ mockSearch: vi.fn(), mockFindByIata: vi.fn() }));
-vi.mock('../../src/services/airportService', async (importActual) => {
-  const actual = await importActual<typeof import('../../src/services/airportService')>();
+vi.mock('../../src/nest/airports/airports.data', async (importActual) => {
+  const actual = await importActual<typeof import('../../src/nest/airports/airports.data')>();
   return { ...actual, searchAirports: mockSearch, findByIata: mockFindByIata };
 });
 
diff --git a/server/tests/setup.console-noise.ts b/server/tests/setup.console-noise.ts
index 6e34c34d5..ddaaf30fc 100644
--- a/server/tests/setup.console-noise.ts
+++ b/server/tests/setup.console-noise.ts
@@ -14,17 +14,17 @@
 //    incrementally and never replays steps against a current schema; guarding
 //    the steps in src/ would change production output, so the replay artifact
 //    is filtered here instead. Non-duplicate-column step failures still print.
-// 2. `[DB] Flight endpoint backfill failed:` + `Cannot find module
-//    '../services/airportService'` — database.ts runs a boot-time backfill via
-//    a bare CJS require() at module eval, which the vitest transform pipeline
-//    cannot resolve (the compiled production dist can). Fires once in every
-//    test file that evaluates the real database.ts (~60 files).
+// 2. `[DB] Flight endpoint backfill failed:` + `no such table` — the backfill
+//    runs on application bootstrap now, so it fires in e2e TestingModules whose
+//    fixture DB has no reservations table. It used to be a module-eval require()
+//    in database.ts that vitest could not resolve at all, in ~60 files; this is
+//    the same suppression, narrowed to what actually still happens.
 
 const MIGRATION_WARN_HEAD = '[migrations] Non-fatal migration step failed:';
 const DUPLICATE_COLUMN = /duplicate column name: /;
 
 const BACKFILL_ERROR_HEAD = '[DB] Flight endpoint backfill failed:';
-const AIRPORT_MODULE_MISSING = /Cannot find module '\.\.\/services\/airportService'/;
+const BACKFILL_TABLE_MISSING = /no such table/;
 
 const errorText = (value: unknown): string =>
   value instanceof Error ? value.message : String(value);
@@ -37,6 +37,6 @@ console.warn = (...args: unknown[]) => {
 
 const realError = console.error.bind(console);
 console.error = (...args: unknown[]) => {
-  if (args[0] === BACKFILL_ERROR_HEAD && AIRPORT_MODULE_MISSING.test(errorText(args[1]))) return;
+  if (args[0] === BACKFILL_ERROR_HEAD && BACKFILL_TABLE_MISSING.test(errorText(args[1]))) return;
   realError(...args);
 };
diff --git a/server/tests/unit/nest/airports/airports.data.test.ts b/server/tests/unit/nest/airports/airports.data.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..530e0c660
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/tests/unit/nest/airports/airports.data.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/**
+ * The bundled airport dataset — AIRPORT-DATA-001..010.
+ *
+ * These have no predecessor: the file lived in services/, outside the coverage
+ * gate, so its scoring ladder was only ever exercised incidentally through the
+ * e2e route. Moving it into src/nest made the gap visible.
+ *
+ * fs is stubbed with a four-airport fixture rather than reading the real
+ * assets/airports.json, so the ranking assertions stay deterministic and the
+ * missing-file branch is reachable.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+
+const { readFileSync, existsSync } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  readFileSync: vi.fn(),
+  existsSync: vi.fn(() => true),
+}));
+vi.mock('node:fs', () => ({ default: { readFileSync, existsSync }, readFileSync, existsSync }));
+
+const FIXTURE = [
+  { iata: 'FRA', icao: 'EDDF', name: 'Frankfurt Airport', city: 'Frankfurt', country: 'DE', lat: 50, lng: 8.5, tz: 'Europe/Berlin' },
+  { iata: 'FRO', icao: 'ENFL', name: 'Floro Airport', city: 'Floro', country: 'NO', lat: 61, lng: 5, tz: 'Europe/Oslo' },
+  { iata: 'JFK', icao: 'KJFK', name: 'John F Kennedy International', city: 'New York', country: 'US', lat: 40, lng: -73, tz: 'America/New_York' },
+  { iata: 'BER', icao: 'EDDB', name: 'Berlin Brandenburg', city: 'Berlin', country: 'DE', lat: 52, lng: 13, tz: 'Europe/Berlin' },
+];
+
+/** A fresh module registry per case: the dataset is cached after the first load. */
+async function load(opts: { missing?: boolean; body?: string } = {}) {
+  vi.resetModules();
+  existsSync.mockReturnValue(!opts.missing);
+  readFileSync.mockReturnValue(opts.body ?? JSON.stringify(FIXTURE));
+  return import('../../../../src/nest/airports/airports.data');
+}
+
+beforeEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
+
+describe('findByIata', () => {
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-001: finds an airport by its IATA code, case-insensitively', async () => {
+    const { findByIata } = await load();
+    expect(findByIata('fra')?.name).toBe('Frankfurt Airport');
+    expect(findByIata('FRA')?.icao).toBe('EDDF');
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-002: returns null for an unknown code', async () => {
+    const { findByIata } = await load();
+    expect(findByIata('ZZZ')).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-003: returns null for every code when the dataset file is missing', async () => {
+    const { findByIata } = await load({ missing: true });
+    expect(findByIata('FRA')).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('searchAirports ranking', () => {
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-004: an exact three-letter IATA match short-circuits to that one airport', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    expect(searchAirports('JFK').map(a => a.iata)).toEqual(['JFK']);
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-005: an exact ICAO match outranks a prefix match', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    // 'EDDF' is FRA's ICAO; nothing else starts with it.
+    expect(searchAirports('EDDF')[0].iata).toBe('FRA');
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-006: an IATA prefix outranks a city prefix', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    // 'FR' prefixes the IATA of FRA and FRO, and the city of Frankfurt.
+    const iatas = searchAirports('FR').map(a => a.iata);
+    expect(iatas.slice(0, 2).sort()).toEqual(['FRA', 'FRO']);
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-007: a city prefix outranks a substring match', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    // 'Berlin' is BER's city (prefix) and appears inside its name too.
+    expect(searchAirports('Berlin')[0].iata).toBe('BER');
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-008: matches a name substring when nothing better applies', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    expect(searchAirports('Kennedy').map(a => a.iata)).toEqual(['JFK']);
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-009: an empty or whitespace query returns nothing', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    expect(searchAirports('')).toEqual([]);
+    expect(searchAirports('   ')).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('AIRPORT-DATA-010: honours the result limit', async () => {
+    const { searchAirports } = await load();
+    // Every fixture airport matches on country or name somewhere; cap it at one.
+    expect(searchAirports('a', 1)).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+});