Here are the most dangerous airports in the world.
You won't believe how pilots even manage to land in number 1.
Number 8: Gibraltar International Airport, Gibraltar
Due to a lack of space in the small British Overseas Territory, the Gibraltar International
Airport's runway actually passes through a main road in the city.
Roads intersecting with railway tracks are very common, but roads intersecting airport
runways is almost unheard of!
Road traffic through the High Street Winston Churchill - which is Gibraltar’s main road
towards its border with Spain - is made to stop every time the runway is used for an
aircraft landing or take off.
Amazingly, no major accident has ever occurred so far, as everyone knows the danger of running
a red light here.
Apart from the nightmarish runway, the airport is also regularly exposed to strong cross
winds around the Rock of Gibraltar and across the Bay of Algeciras during the winter, making
landings difficult.
The TV program "Most Extreme Airports" ranked Gibraltar International Airport as one of
the most dangerous airports in the world, yet it is still very busy, handling nearly
half a million passengers a year.
If you don't have the guts to fly into Gibraltar, you could always take the land or sea route
from Spain or Morocco.
Number 7: Princess Juliana Airport, Saint Martin
This airport, named after Princess Juliana of the Netherlands who landed here in 1944,
was initially built for small planes only, and for this reason the runway is only a little
over 7000 feet long.
To put that into perspective, large aircrafts usually require at least 8000 feet of runway
to ensure a safe landing, or maybe even 10,000 feet for really large aircrafts.
But when the tourist industry in St Martin began to bloom, the airport opened access
to Boeing 747 and Airbus A340 airplanes as part of its regular air traffic rotation,
both of which are jumbo sized airplanes.
However, the landing strip remained in its original short length.
The reason that makes this international airport so dangerous and unique at the same time is
the presence of a public beach located right before the runway.
When planes land and takeoff, the jet blasts would result in strong gusts of wind and sand
hitting the people at the beach.
A small blunder by the pilot or the slightest plane malfunction could result in serious
disasters, either the beach goers being hit, or the plane hitting the building at the end
of the runway.
But some tourists consider it a unique attraction.
They get to enjoy crystal blue beach water coupled with the thrill of seeing large planes
flying dangerously close just a few feet above them.
Apart from the short runway in direct line with the beach, pilots also face a challenge
when taking off from Princess Juliana Airport, as they are forced to quickly steer away from
the mountains located right in their departure path.
Number 6: Barra Airport, Scotland This terrifying Scottish airport is one of
a kind.
Barra Airport is a short runway airport located in a wide shallow bay at Barra Island, Scotland.
Its unique runway doubles as a beach, the very same sands that people walk along and
play around on during the airport's off-hours.
For those looking to enjoy a nice stroll along the beach, warning signs will be alerted to
inform about incoming flights.
Plane passengers would be able to enjoy a unique and notably scenic landing.
But as cool as that sounds, the beachside airport becomes really dangerous when the
tide is high.
A slight miscalculation in timing by the pilot would result in the plane being met with a
high tide that prevents it from descending.
When it's dark, pilots are usually guided by the lights from cars passing along the
nearby road.
Although the thought of landing on a beautiful sandy runway sounds like a lot of fun, you
might want to sacrifice that thought in favor of a runway that won't be totally submerged
by the time you arrive.
Number 5: Courchevel Altiport, France Courchevel Altiport is an aerodrome for small
planes and helicopters that serve Courchevel, a ski resort situated high in the French Alps.
For many reasons, most pilots choose to avoid using this deadly airport at all costs.
The airport is built right into the French Alps, and planes have to navigate through
a narrow valley in order to descend and prepare for landing on its extremely short runway.
In fact, the runway is the shortest of any airport in the world at only 537 meters, and
forces planes to touch down at inclined angles just to slow down.
Since the place is surrounded by mountainous terrain, there are absolutely no go-around
procedures for landings.
This means that pilots have only one chance at getting things right and can't abort a
landing attempt once they've reached their final approach, or else they’ll crash into
a mountain wall.
The runway also lacks any instrument approach procedure or lighting aids, which makes landing
really unsafe and at times almost impossible in the presence of fog and low clouds.
During takeoff, if the plane fails to gather enough speed, it would fall right off a cliff,
and the pilot and passengers would just have to hope that the machine stays in the air.
One other reason that makes takeoff extremely difficult is that the short runway has a downward
slope of about 18.6 percent.
Number 4: Damascus International Airport, Syria
By technical standards alone, the Damascus International Airport is considered safe.
The runway has a standard length, the area's terrain is even, and the weather is stable.
However, there has been a bloody civil war going on in Syria since 2011.
Because of constant fighting between multiple factions, hundreds of thousands of people
have been killed, and millions more are displaced.
Despite all that, the international airport in Syria's capital is still operating, and
remains the country's busiest airport.
Just before the civil war broke out, an estimated 5.5 million flight passengers used the airport
in 2010.
However, the numbers have gone done considerably today.
Most international airlines have stopped flying to Syria.
The airport and the road leading to it are closed intermittently.
Several rebel groups claim the airport as their own, including the terrorist militant
group ISIS.
If you're a flight passenger looking to land in Damascus International Airport, you must
contend with potential strikes from surface-to-air-missiles, as well as deliberate or accidental strikes
from Russian, Turkish, and American fighter planes.
And even if you manage to land safe and sound, remember that an endless civil war is still
going on outside.
Number 3: Toncontin International Airport, Honduras
As you may expect, airports in mountainous regions can be extremely difficult to land
at due to the irregular terrain and short approaches.
Toncontin International Airport in Tegucilpa, Honduras' capital city is a good example.
The airport is located in a low valley surrounded by mountains, and has a short runway that
is only 7000 feet long.
The place opened in the early 1930s when planes were much smaller and less powerful, and not
requiring long runways.
But for today's regular commercial airplane to make a safe landing, a pilot would have
to navigate through a series of hurdles.
After getting through the rough Honduran mountains, the plane would have to make a sharp 45 degree
bank during descent in order to make it to the runway and then decelerate in time, all
without scraping the terrain directly underneath.
Passengers are expected to experience an unpleasant quick drop in altitude and rather bumpy landing.
The matter is complicated further by strong winds, often forcing pilots to improvise and
make last second adjustments.
There is only one way in and out for airplanes, and despite all these dangers, large Boeings
still land and take off from here on a regular basis.
The dangerous airport has become the subject of scrutiny after multiple accidents, the
latest being on a Valentine's Day in 2011 when a Let L-410 Turbolet crashed on approach
to the airport, killing all 14 people on board.
Number 2: Madeira Airport, Portugal When Madeira Airport was first opened on the
Portuguese archipelago in 1964, it had a very short runway of only over 5000 feet long.
In 1977, the airport witnessed a gruesome accident that killed 131 people on board an
incoming Boeing 727.
Due to heavy rain and winds resulting in poor visibility, the plane overran the short runway
and plunged over a steep bank.
It crashed through a stone bridge and ended up on the beach, splitting in two and bursting
into flames.
The disaster prompted Portuguese officials to extend the runway, but the task was extremely
difficult and expensive due to the runway's high level compared to the beach below.
In the 80s, they made a 600 foot extension, and in 2000, it was finally extended to reach
over 9000 feet, making it fully capable of handling large bodied commercial airplanes.
However, one look at the supposedly normal length runway today would still give you the
chills.
The platform is only supported by a series of platforms built over an artificial island.
A pilot's approach is tricky as he would have to carefully navigate around a mountain in
order to land perfectly on the runway, which sits between steep cliffs and ocean shores.
Drift too far on a wet and windy day, and the plane falls off the side.
Number 1: Lukla Airport, Nepal The Lukla Airport in Nepal is well known as
the place where mountain climbers start their ascent towards Mount Everest Base Camp.
In 2008, the airport was renamed Tenzing Hillary Airport, in honor of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay
and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first two people to reach Mount Everest's summit.
Apart from being known as the entry point to the tallest mountain in the world, the
airport has gained infamy for the dangers it poses.
On History Channel's "Most Extreme Airports" broadcasted in 2010, Nepal's Lukla Airport
was rated as the world's most dangerous airport for over 20 years.
The airport is nestled in between two mountains, and experiences strong winds and extreme cloud
cover most of the time.
But these aren't the scariest parts.
The runway, which is extremely short, is preceded by high terrain and ends abruptly with a two
thousand foot drop.
Because of its elevation at above 9000 feet, the place has very little electric power,
thus there are no lights, nor traffic control on site.
Therefore it is totally up to the pilot to safely touchdown and land the plane on their
own, even in terrible weather.
Countless fatal accidents have happened at Lukla Airport, one of the most recent being
Yeti Airlines Flight 103 which crashed into the mountain on its final approach to Lukla
due to bad weather.
The plane caught fire, and 18 people on board died.
Only the captain survived.