11 Scary Airport Landings In The World
1. Tenzing-Hilary Airport, Lukla, Nepal:
PC:Named after Tenzing Norway and Edmund Hillary, the first two climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the Tenzing-Hillary Airport is situated at a height of 9325 feet. Surrounded by the mighty Himalayas, this tiny airport is built on a mountainside and has a single runway which is 500 metres long, 20 metres wide and slopes at an angle of 12 degrees! And get this, at the northern end of the runway is a mountain wall and at the southern end is a steep 2000 feet drop into the valley! Making it one scary airport landing for sure.
2. Toncontín International Airport, Tegucigalpa, Honduras:
Having the world’s trickiest landing, the runway at the Toncontín International Airport is a scary one alright! The actual landing distance of the runway is only 1600 metres and once the pilot navigates through the surrounding mountains and windy conditions, he has to make a 45 degree turn in order to line up the aircraft with the runway!
3. Gibraltar International Airport, Gibraltar:
PC: Picture this- a runway which has a highway running right through it! That’s what the Gibraltar International Airport’s runway has! The British Territory of Gibraltar is situated at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. The unique layout of its runway has the main highway passing through it. During take offs and landings, the highway traffic is blocked for a while.
4. Princess Juliana International Airport, Saint Martin:
Nope, the above picture is not photoshopped! The Princess Juliana International Airport’s short runway is situated right behind the Maho Beach. Airplanes have to approach the landing over the water and undoubtedly, beachgoers get a thrill out of it!
5. Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia:
The Yeager Airport is located on top of a mountain! As it is, landing on the top of a flat mountain is risky. To make matters worse, at this runway, if the aeroplane overshoots its destination, it will be welcomed by a steep decline and then the road and houses that lie on the other side of the road! Definitely the hardest place to land a plane! *Shivers*
6. Paro Airport, Bhutan:
The country of Bhutan is nestled within the beautiful Himalayas. Located deep within the valley, the Paro Airport is Bhutan's only international airport. Situated on the bank of the river Paro Chhu, very few pilots are licensed to fly into the airport. Pilots have to negotiate through the soaring mountains and then descend on the sole runway which is just 1980 metres long!
7. LaGuardia Airport, New York City:
PC:= Phillip Capper/flickr.com
Oh the pressure a pilot undergoes while arriving at the LaGuardia Airport! Located between Midtown Manhattan and the Flushing and Bowery bays, overshooting the runway may cause the plane to either enter the waters or enter a crowded city! Apart from this stress, the pilots also have to avoid interfering with flights from two other extremely busy airports situated nearby- JFK and Newark.
8. Barra Airport, Scotland:
PC: World's only beach airport used by scheduled commercial flights, the Barra Airport is spread across the pristine beach of Traigh Mhor. Considered to be one of the most beautiful airports on earth, pilots flying to the airport have to be on the lookout for sea tides as the runways are completely submerged during high tide! Add to this erratic weather conditions and you’d be praying for low tide!
9. Wellington International Airport, Wellington, New Zealand:
The Wellington International Airport in the capital city of New Zealand has a single runway of 1935 metres which appears to begin and end in crystal clear blue waters! The airport’s truly hazardous and short runway ends with a dangerous fall straight into the ocean.
10. Saint Barthélemy Airport, Saint-Barthelemy:
With a runway of just 640 metres and with the St. Jean’s beach on one side and a busy road on the other, there is very little room for error while landing at the Saint Barthélemy Airport! Apparently, only small commercial and charter planes can land on the short airstrip. Either way, it would be one the worst airports to land in!
11. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba:
Mostly only Twin Otter propeller airplanes can land at the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport. This is due to the fact that the runway is only around 396 metres long! To add to this, the runway is located on a cliff and is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea on three sides and by high hills on the fourth! I bet this is one of the world's scariest airport landing. Phew!
Would you ever try one of these scary airport landings? If so, which one? Let us know by commenting below.
Also You Might Like To Read:
10 Airport Hacks That'll Make Your Flight Journey Super Easy!
