Airports can be classified as dangerous for many reasons. It could be treacherous landing
or takeoff due to the geographic location of the airport, or due to the size of the
airport that might require exceptional skills for precise takeoff and landing.
There are quite a few dangerous airports all over the world, but the thing about danger is that it
can be quite fascinating as well. So here are the most dangerous airports you might have to avoid.
Welcome to this episode of Dwayne’s Aviation, a wiseman once said, smash the like button,
and subscribe to our channel. 10. Lukla Airport
If you want to visit Mount Everest, this is the airport you would land.
Even though, Airports can be challenging to pilots for many reasons,
most times due to short runway, regular wind shear, mountainous terrain surrounding the
airport, low air pressure at high altitude which affects the handling of the airplane.
Tenzin-Hillary Airport, has not just one, but all of these dangers. The airport is
positioned between two mountains and the runway is extremely short. Because of the elevation,
there is no constant electric power at the airport and the pilots need to be in
constant communication with the air controllers throughout the landing. There are times there are
no air traffic controllers at all, therefore, it is up to the pilot to safely guild and land
the plane on their own. The nearest airport to Lukla is the Kathmandu airport. The flight from
Kathmandu to Lukla takes around 40 minutes and one needs to book the flights early morning,
as a majority of the flights from Kathmandu fly in the morning when the skies are clear,
else the weather can go bad at any time which is a major reason for flight cancellations.
9. St Barth’s Airport Surrounded on all three sides by hills,
St Barth’s Airport is located in St. Jean Village on the Caribbean island of Saint
Barthélemy. St Barth’s Airport has got one of the shortest runways. Its landing requires the planes
to go straight over the heads of public traffic routes which increases the rate of hazards. It
needs a highly trained pilot to land safely at St. Barth’s Airport. The problem gets further
complicated due to the difficult approach pattern, and you also need a special license to land here.
The wind conditions will at times make it more difficult to take flight. Only light aircraft are
allowed to land here and the design of the airport is typically made for smaller aircraft itself.
8. Courchevel Airport. Serving the Courchevel,
a ski resort in the French Alps, at an altitude of 6500 meters, the Courchevel Airport has a
runway of just 537 meters with an 18.5% downward gradient. This slope makes taking off difficult
and is reachable through deep valleys. There is no second chance landing here due to the runway
position, and pilots must make it perfectly the first time. And to make matters worse, this
airport offers no lights or instrument aid so in bad weather landing is impossible. During takeoff,
if the pilot is not able to get up enough speed to take off, they will fly right off a cliff and hope
that the plane stays in the air. Most pilots avoid using this airport at all costs and only certified
pilots are allowed to fly to this airport. 7. Toncontin Airport Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Considered one of the most dangerous in the world, due to its proximity to mountainous terrain,
its short runway, and its historically difficult approach to runway zero two.
Approach to the airport is considered to be one of the most difficult in the world,
especially in unpleasant weather conditions. For a pilot to prepare for the plane’s descent,
they will need to make a 45-degree turn if they are going to reach the runway. This is why it
is located in a valley, once they make the turn, they would need to drop their altitude quickly,
if they don’t, the plane could scrape the terrain underneath resulting in a crash. Another big fear
is overshooting the runway if the airplane is not landed perfectly on target. Only the most skilled
pilots attempt a landing at this airport. 6. Princess Juliana International Airport,
St. Maarten Located on the Dutch side of the island,
in the country of Sint Maarten, Serving the Caribbean island. It was initially built for small
planes, but when the tourist industry in the area started booming. The airport began bringing 747’s
and A340’s in its regular air traffic rotation. The runway is 7,100 feet long and planes must
approach over the water at an extremely low altitude appearing to be just a feet above
the heads of the public. People here enjoy the view of planes taking off and landing. You’ll
find many beachgoers with their phones and cameras out as a plane is spotted approaching the airport.
However, additional fencing has been created to prevent the people from entering the runway,
as people who used to come in for the thrills would get blown away
by the jet blast from the aircraft. 5. Paro Airport in Bhutan, Himalayan Mountains
Located in a deep valley, on the bank of the river Paro Chhu. With surrounding peaks as
high as 18,000 ft., it is considered one of the world's most challenging airports,
and only allows for arrivals and departures during the daytime. This airport is so dangerous
that there are only 8 pilots in the world who are qualified to land there. To make matters worse,
the runway is only 6,499 feet long and the dramatic approach to the runway is completely
out of sight for the pilots until the last minute as they maneuver between mountains at a 45-degree
angle before dropping quickly onto the runway. 4. Gibraltar International Airport.
This airport is not dangerous because of a short runway or location inside the mountains. It
is dangerous because the runway intersects the main street, Winston Churchill Avenue.
When a plane needs to land, the road is closed. There are not people blocking off the street.
There is just one stoplight to warn drivers to stop for an airplane. Because there isn’t much
to stop drivers, there have been plenty of close calls over the years. The runway also abruptly
ends at the Sea on both ends, forcing pilots to hit the brakes immediately after landing.
3. Madeira Airport, Located in Portugal. This is one of the only airports in the
world whose runway was built by engineers. The landing strip has cliffs on one side and the
ocean on the other. To expand the runway, they had to build the extension on over 180 columns.
These columns must be able to withstand the heavy shocks that airplanes produce during landing.
If an airplane comes in too hard, the runway could collapse. So far it hasn’t happened. However,
over time the columns will weaken. Without proper upkeep, an accident is definitely possible. A
limited amount of pilots are qualified to fly into this airport after completing advanced training on
a simulator. The airport involves coordinated efforts in spotting landmarks on approach since
there is no instrument landing. 2. Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland
This is one of the most dangerous airports in the world for a few reasons. The environment is what
makes this airport so dangerous. The runway is always covered with ice. If an airplane comes in
fast on the ice, it’s not uncommon for the plane to go off into the snowbanks. Because there is
almost always a storm, it can be very difficult for the pilot to see where they are landing.
Diminished visibility makes landing at this airport very dangerous. To make matters worse,
nearby is an active volcano that erupts often. The ash can stall and even destroy planes engines.
This can result in a deadly crash. This airport is so dangerous that many pilots refuse to fly
in or out of this airport. 1. Tioman Airport, Malaysia
Although this airport currently has no scheduled airline operations, with just one
operator offering regular charter services. The relatively small size of aircraft able to take off
and land at Tioman means that per-seat costs are relatively high making it hard for airlines
operating out of the island to remain profitable. The landing at Tioman Island has pilots heading
straight for a mountain and then making a quick 90-degree turn to line up with the runway.
It has a one-way runway, as planes can only land from and take off in one direction due
to nearby terrain. The one-way landing has to be very fast since the end of the runway has a cliff
with a very steep fall into the waters below. A Wiseman once said, subscribe for more!!