9 ‘dangerous’ airports around the world that are ‘not for the faint-hearted’
Fearing of flying is a pretty common affliction, but sadly, these airports won’t help cure the condition as they are not for the ‘faint-hearted’.
These dangerous terminals would make even the most frequent flyers change their travel plans, with runways that go out into the ocean and landing strips in the middle of the city.
With plane tickets at an all-time high, you’ll be wondering where all that money went when you land at these destinations.
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9. Wellington International Airport
Touching down in New Zealand first, the Wellington International Airport looks pretty serene until you notice the ocean on either side.
The poorly planned terminal has caused no end of issues for tourists, with its short runway leading to Qantas introducing a specially designed short-bodied 747 for the airport.
Despite this and the frequent strong winds, there is amazingly only one incident of a plane overrunning the runway – back in 1963. Still wouldn’t want to risk it though, would you?
8. Congonhas Airport
While nature might be the enemy in New Zealand, the Congonhas Airport has a man-made issue to deal with.
One of four major airports serving Sao Paulo, it has become crowded with buildings virtually on all sides.
Tragically, this resulted in Brazil’s worst aviation disaster when a TAM Airlines Airbus overshot the runway in rainy conditions.
Colliding with a local warehouse, the accident killed 187 people onboard as well as 12 locals who had been in the area at the time.
7. Princess Juliana International Airport
Arriving in St Maarten might sound like a dream, but the island’s airport is notorious for its beachside runway.
In fact, there are signs between Maho Beach and runway 10 warning intrepid tourists not to get too close as planes come into land.
For those still curious enough to make the journey, note that the impact of a jet blast can result in serious bodily harm, including death (Cheery).
6. Kai Tak Airport
Closed in 1998, this Hong Kong airport was located in an extremely built-up district of the city-state.
According to Simple Flying, the Kai Tak became notorious for its runway 13, with pilots having to make a series of complex maneuvers while landing.
Known as the Chequerboard Approach, pilots would have to make a 47-degree right turn to line up with the runway.
If that wasn’t unnerving enough, they would then have less than two nautical miles to land or risk crashing into a nearby apartment block – just tens of meters away.
Thankfully, the site has since been replaced with Hong Kong International Airport.
5. Agatti Aerodrome
This site might not be the best known, but it’s certainly one of the most terrifying places to land.
Located in Lakshadweep, Agatti Aerodrome sits on a thin strip of land that juts out into the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean.
Whilst undeniably beautiful, the runway is just 121.9 meters long (400 ft) with pilots having to navigate the small terminal as they land.
4. Barra International Airport
When you think of dangerous airports, the UK probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind.
However, Scotland’s Barra International Airport makes our list thanks to its remote location in the bay of Traigh Mhòr.
In fact, it’s the only airport where planes regularly land on the sand, with pilots also having to contend with runways that disappear at high tide and poor weather.
In fact, only Loganair Airlines lands at the airport on a regular basis and even uses a specially designed plan for the challenging terrain.
3. Toncontin International Airport
It’s unlikely that you’ll ever visit this airport, as it’s largely used for civil and military aeroplanes.
With the airport being situated in a valley surrounded by mountainous terrain, its clear that you wouldn’t want this on your destination list.
To avoid the steep hills and the capital city of Tegucigalpa, have to be incredibly skilled to make a happy landing here.
Tragically though, four passengers and one person on the ground were killed when a Taca A320 slid off the runway in rainy weather.
After the tragedy, authorities replaced the site with Palmerola International Airport for all commercial flights.
2. Courchevel Airport
This French airport has one of the shortest runways in the world, measuring at just 537 meters (1722ft).
The airport is nestled among the Alps with steep slopes surrounding it and has even doubled as a finishing line for part of the Tour De France because of this.
If that wasn’t off-putting enough, it also has a sloping runway with an incline of 18.6 per cent, the highest in the world.
Maybe we’ll just take the Eurostar.
1. Lukla Airport
You might not like the look of this Nepalese airport, which Forbes previously dubbed the most dangerous in the world.
Situated close to Mount Everest, the airport hides amongst the clouds at 2,438 meters (8,000 ft) above sea level.
Unsurprisingly, the Himalayan weather is pretty inhospitable, with fog, rainstorms and snow all commonplace at this high altitude.
To make matters worse, the runway is incredibly short, at just 526.9 meters long (1729 ft).
Given the intense location and weather, there have been many accidents at Lukla over the years.
Topics: Travel, World News
Katherine Sidnell