Unarguably, our planet Earth is full of beautiful places. However, most of those really stunning places are often very remote and situated in places that make them very hard to reach. Usually, you can only reach them by boat, or more realistically - with an airplane. Now, since those beautiful places are so remote and the terrain there is often, well, unique, some accommodations have to be made to build an airport there to safely land its visitors. ‘Safely’ being the operative word here. Alas, we all understand safety in our own terms, and the builders of the most dangerous airports in the world that we’ve rounded up in this list had their own idea of ‘safe’ too. Well, at least we get to see the stunning places they are built on, right?
So, what makes an airport the most dangerous airport in the world? Well, there’s one obvious thing - a very short runway. If your regular runway is anywhere between 2 to 4 kilometers long, then some of the world’s most dangerous airports have runways of about… half a kilometer! Imagine how abrupt and unpleasant the landing would be! Other, less obvious reasons why these are the most dangerous airports might include the fact that they are located in very high altitudes among huge mountains, the runways literally end in an ocean, or because of the harsh and windy weather conditions that are always there. Either way, these most dangerous airports to land in are definitely not for the faint-hearted!
Right, so, ready to take a look at the most dangerous landing strips in the world? If so, scroll down below, read the short descriptions of each of these terrifying airports, and plan your future travels accordingly!
#1 Matekane Air Strip, Lesotho
The tiny, 1,300-foot-long airstrip in Lesotho, Africa, has been dubbed the world's most terrifying runway. Because the planes don't have enough time to begin flying when they take off from Matekane, they must first drop off of a 2,000-foot cliff to actually fly!
24points
#2 Gibraltar International Airport, Gibraltar
North Front Airport, also known as the Gibraltar International Airport, is very dangerous because its runway passes through a street! And not some street, but the busiest avenue on the island. Now, if railroad crossings make you nervous, then think about an airplane crossing. Terrifying!
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19points
#3 Lukla Airport, Nepal
Tenzing-Hillary Airport, formerly known as the Lukla Airport, in Khumbu, Nepal, is often used by people visiting Mount Everest. The airport is set at an altitude of 8,000 feet with very short landing and take-off strips and virtually no modern air traffic control features. A real test of any pilot's abilities!
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15points
#4 Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
Before Hong Kong opened the Hong Kong International Airport in 1998, Kai Tak served as the primary airport. It had a perilous landing, it was constantly windy and located amidst mountains. Scary!
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14points
#5 Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is an airport on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. The runway here is only 400 meters long, with hills on one side, and the ocean on another. So, if you're interested in visiting a paradise island and getting an adrenaline rush from flying here, Saba is your go-to place.
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14points
#6 Gustaf III Airport, Caribbean
It's difficult to picture difficult air travel conditions in a place so exquisite given that it's situated on famous Saint Barthelemy (also known as St. Barts). Just over 640 meters long, the runway for landing ends right before the turquoise waters that are the hallmark of this idyllic sanctuary.
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14points
#7 Courchevel Airport, France
The Courchevel Airport in France has one of the shortest runways in the world. They come at only a bit more than half a kilometer! In comparison, a typical runway is usually anywhere from two to four kilometers. Besides all that, the landing strip is also located amidst mountains which doesn't make it any easier to land or take-off.
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13points
#8 Agatti Aerodrome, Lakshadweep, India
The Agati Airport in Lakshwadeep, India, is the only airport serving 36 Insiand tourist islands. And although the views there are breathtaking, the strip itself is only 4,000 feet long which makes any landing and take-off into extreme sports.
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13points
#9 Gisborne Airport, New Zealand
Gisborne Airport offers passengers a truly special experience because a railroad crosses the airstrip directly. Given that both parties are in operation during the day, proper scheduling is essential to preventing disaster from occurring at this airport.
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13points
#10 Princess Juliana International Airport, Saint Martin
Saint Martin's main airport, The Princess Juliana International Airport, is one to test any pilot (and the guts of the craft's passengers!). Before landing, planes fly over a beach and some roads almost touching them, only to arrive at a very short landing strip which makes for a very uncomfortable abrupt landing.
12points
#11 Toncontin International Airport, Honduras
Toncontín International Airport, also known as Teniente Coronel Hernán Acosta Mejía Airport, is in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and serves both as a civil and military airport. The difficulty here lies in the fact that the airport is located in a very mountainous region, and the pilot has to make certain arrangements so as to not hit the mountains!
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11points
#12 Santos Dumont Airport, Brazil
The second-largest airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is located here, and it is encircled by an abundance of azure ocean. Although it may be a beautiful sight to fly over, the runway is relatively little for landing, which greatly increases the likelihood of landing in these Brazilian bays.
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11points
#13 Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland
The Narsarsuaq Airport is a stunning sight to view from the air and is a strong contender for one of the most difficult plane landings to make at an airport. When worrying about ice-covered runways and bone-chilling winds, you'll have great fjords to wonder at and stunning landscapes to enjoy.
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11points
#14 Telluride Regional Airport, Colorado, USA
A landing at Telluride Regional Airport can be a frightening event because of the airport's high elevation and cliffs that hang precariously in the air. You'll have a breathtaking view to think about as you fight the ferociously strong unstable wind conditions of this region while landing smack in the breathtaking scenery of the San Juan Mountains.
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11points
#15 Catalina Airport, California
Pilots arriving at Catalina Airport must be cautious of the steep drop at both ends of the runway because it is carved into the adjacent hills of Avalon. Because of the airport's elevation, pilots frequently have to prepare for severe turbulence on a runway that frequently has soft areas and potholes.
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10points
#16 Barra International Airport, Scotland
Situated at the tip of Scotland's Barra island, the Barra International Airport has a very short runway that is actually... a beach! It's the only airport to have a runway that is literally a beach instead of tarmac.
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9points
#17 Ice Runway, Antarctica
The main runway for the US Antarctic Program is aptly called the Ice Runway. However, it isn't actually a runway at all, as the flights land on a patch of snow and ice!
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9points
#18 Svalbard Airport, Norway
Svalbard Airport is the northernmost airport in the world with scheduled flights. The runways here are built directly on permanent ice! However, due to global warming and rising temperatures,, the track will soon be seriously distorted, and the airport will have to be shut down.
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9points
#19 Paro Airport, Bhutan
Only a handful of pilots in the entire globe are qualified and certified to stick the landing at Paro Airport! So, be sure to express your gratitude to your pilot after this tense trip, which included a quick 45-degree dip before touching down on the runway with no airport surveillance radar to guide the pilot.
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9points
#20 Don Mueang International Airport, Thailand
Although Don Mueang International Airport isn't the sole airport in Bangkok, it is still used frequently. The catch here? Well, it is situated between two golf fields and that requires quite a lot of precision from the pilot.
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8points