They are the most dangerous airports in the world. There is little question in anyone’s mind that you, quite literally, will take your life into your hands traveling into one of these airports. So, here they are:
7 – Madeira International / Portugal
This airport has earned the nickname of “Europe’s Most Dangerous Airport” and with good reason. The runway is one of the narrowest in the world. It actually was extended out another 665 feet in 1977 after a plane crashed on the runway killing all 131 people on board. According to pilots, the winds are brutal all of the time and if you don’t plan well, you will simply head off the cliff into the ocean.
6 – Barra Airport / Scotland
Well, for the unique danger of it, Barra is the place. There are no runways because your pilot will be landing on a beach. It is actually the only airport on the planet that uses beaches for runways. Of course, flying into Barra can be tricky with flight times because all flights are scheduled according to the high tide of the day.
5 – Narsarsuaq Airport / Greenland
The breathtaking beauty of the place aside, the pilot has to fly right up the middle of a fjord, battling high winds, just for starters. Planes can’t fly out or land after dark and there is the additional hazard of floating icebergs that must be navigated around just to get to the runway.
4 – McMurdo Air Station / Antarctica
If you think landing on a beach in Scotland is tough, try landing on a runway made of ice. The advantage, it seems is that a pilot has more than enough runway to land and there are actually three of them there. Pilots must fly there with night vision goggles for times when there is no daylight there. Then there is, of course, the brutal weather where 20 below is considered to be a rather balmy day.
3 – Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport / Saba Island, The Caribbean
Saba Island is a Caribbean island colony belonging to The Netherlands. The airport landings are considered so perilous that only master pilots will even dare to try and land there. It is surrounded by hills on one side and, of course, the ocean on the other so it is advisable you not venture to Saba Island unless you can really swim because you may end up having to.
2 – Gibralter International / Gibralter
This is the second most dangerous airport in the world for good reasons. Takeoffs and landings are challenging because if you miss, you end up in the ocean. The runway is extremely short by current modern standards and there is a railroad crossing running through the middle of the runway. You will need more than luck when heading to Gibralter.
1 – Toncontin International / Tegucigalpa, Honduras
This airport is truly legendary as being the unchallenged most dangerous airport in the world. Experienced pilots, even former combat pilots, cringe at the prospect of having to fly into it. The runways are extremely short; barely longer than an aircraft carrier deck. Also, you are flying right into a populated area and its like flying into the center of a neighborhood. Plus, before you even see the airport, pilots must use all of their skill and wits to fly around the huge mountains that surround the airport and the valley.
PHOTO CREDIT: Flickr