Airports are supposed to be a safe place for travelers. They’re the first stop on your journey and the last before you return home. But some airports are so scary it’s not all that surprising people might never want to fly again. This blog is a list of the fifteen scariest airports in the world.
Sea Ice Runway, Antarctica
Located in the Antarctica, it is quite obvious that the runway would be made up of ice only. The planes take off and land quite carefully as a small mistake of the pilot could take the passengers deep into the ice. To experience the icy cold adventure take a flight to Antarctica soon and witness the breathtaking experience yourself.
Matekane Air Strip, Africa
This airstrip in Africa is located at the edge of a mountain cliff, from where the planes take off and head towards a mountain. If at all a pilot loses control over the plane, it could straight away go into the deep valley. The plane has to slip off from the edge of the cliff and then fly.
Barra, Scotland
You probably need to take a flight to Barra to land in the most stunning landing-spot which will make you wonder in surprise. The best part of this spot is that the plane cannot land if there is a tide.
Funchal, Madeira
The airport of Funchal is located on the edge of the land and thus the flights and the planes take off from its edge. It mind sound interesting, but it actually can take you directly into the ocean if at all the pilot loses control over it. The view of the runway will leave you awe-struck whereas the landing can give you mini heart attacks.
Courchevel Airport, France
Courchevel Airport is located at an elevation of 11,300 feet, making it the highest airport in Europe. The airport also has a single runway that is about one mile long and a small terminal building with a capacity to hold 100 passengers. Because of its elevation, the airport experiences extreme cold and foggy conditions often.
To keep things in perspective, this airport is at the top of a mountain and it’s one of the scariest airports in the world because it has steep cliff walls that go right up to runway. This airport was also recently closed down for a short time because there were too many accidents taking place on the runway.
Flying to this airport can be terrifying for some people and pilots have even complained about it. Although it’s mostly a problem for skiers, many people are still afraid of take off and landing there. The first problem is that the runway can’t be seen from the terminal, so planes land blindly into a white abyss. To make matters worse, there’s no visibility during snowstorms or other low-visibility conditions.
Matekane Air Strip, Lesotho
Matekane is not one of the largest airports in the world, but it is one of the scariest. All aircraft landing here must contend with a mountainous sloped runway that descends sharply and ends abruptly in fog at the foot of a mountain slope. This airport is so scary that pilots will often refuse to land there.
It’s not just because it’s located in one of the most dangerous countries, but because it’s so small that planes can touch ground on the runway while taxis. There is only a runway with few tie-downs around it and many people fear for their lives when they need to get off the plane and move to their ride waiting for them.
Gibraltar Airport
Gibraltar Airport is one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Located on a cliff that drops right down to the Mediterranean Sea, it features no airport building, no control tower and no radar. The runway is only 45 meters wide and short enough that some aircraft have to hit their brakes at the end of the runway because they don’t have enough space to take off.
Gibraltar Airport is surrounded by mountains which makes it hard for pilots to land. Pilots must also be aware of the high winds as they come in from the Mediterranean Sea. Pilots must also avoid crashing into boats or sea birds, since they are a serious safety concern.
The airport can be difficult and dangerous to land at because it has a short runway that intersects with obstacles like hills and buildings. The airport also has a short ground taxiway, which means airplanes are closer to roads and people when they take off.
Ice Runway, Antarctica
Icy Runway is the only airport in Antarctica that has the capability to handle wheeled aircraft. The runway has no markings because it’s not paved and there are few navigation aids. Flights to this airport only depart from Union Glacier Camp, located in the same region as Icy Runway, and land at Patriot Hills or McMurdo Station.
Landing at the Ice Runway is not for the faint of heart. To get to this runway, you’ll need to fly through the Transantarctic Mountains, and there’s a chance that you’ll be caught in a snowstorm on your way there.
Landing on the ice is difficult because it’s a glacial ice sheet which can be up to 2 miles thick. If a plane lands too hard, they could end up starting a crevice or avalanche!
Madeira Airport, Portugal
Madeira is a beautiful and pristine island located off the coast of Portugal. The island’s airport is one of the most dangerous places in the world to land, but why? Well, first of all, it’s small. Secondly, there are constantly strong winds. These two factors make it difficult for airplanes to land at Madeira Airport without danger.
The runway is so short and surrounded by sea cliffs that pilots have to be careful not to crash into water. Pilots also need a lot of skill to land because the approach is difficult with high winds, cloud cover, and a steep ascent onto the runway.
This airport has a lot of difficulties because the runway is just 1,300 meters long and there are mountains nearby. Furthermore, the airport is surrounded by many high hills which require pilots to use a reference point to land.
Kansai Airport, Japan
The airport is located on a small island that’s surrounded by mountains. Lacking a good place to put it, the airport was built on an area that’s only level enough for planes to land at two points. The airport has two short runways and the wind currents make landing difficult because of how high the air pressure fluctuates.
Landing in Kansai Airport is the scariest experience of some pilots. The airport has a reputation for being difficult due to its 3,000-foot runway and its surrounding mountains. Pilots have to be precise when they’re landing or they risk crashing into the terrain.
Kansai International Airport is consistently ranked as one of the most difficult airports to land at. The problem is that it has a very short runway and high mountains surrounding it so pilots have to be careful not to fly too close to the ground when landing or they risk getting caught in turbulent air.
Carnevalli Airport
Carnevalli Airport is located in the southernmost part of Chile and has a large number of mountains around it. That doesn’t make it any easier to land. Helicopters have to fly at low altitudes, making it hard for pilots to see the runway from above. Pilots also have to contend with strong winds, sandstorms, and snowstorms that can completely obscure visibility.
The airport has a high slope, which makes it difficult for pilots to land. The Carnevalli airport also has no radar system or runway lights and is surrounded by mountains. The lack of visibility in the area also makes landing difficult and is one of the reasons it is rated as the scariest airport in the world.
Despite being only one mile long, this airport has a high-elevation runway which makes landings difficult for pilots. Another problem is that there are many obstructions around the airport due to farming and other industries in the area.
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport
Located in the Mendenhall Valley, Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport is surrounded by steep mountains. The airport’s runway is the only way in or out of the valley, meaning that it has to be long enough to accommodate anything coming into it. This can make landing difficult when wind and weather conditions are unfavorable.
Situated on a small island, the airport has a runway that is only 2,625 feet long. This makes it almost impossible to land during certain weather conditions such as high winds and heavy rain. It can be difficult to land here because it has few lights, there is limited visibility because of fog, and it is surrounded by mountains. The airport also isn’t equipped with a control tower which makes landings more challenging.
Svalbard Airport, Norway
Svalbard Airport is located on the island of Spitsbergen, in the north of Norway. In order to land at this airport, planes must follow a mountainous terrain that is covered with glaciers. This area is also prone to extreme weather conditions and foggy conditions. And finally, Svalbard Airport has a runway which is only 2.3 km long.
Landing at Svalbard Airport is difficult because the runway is too short to allow planes to use their full runway length, and it’s also too short for a proper landing. The airport was initially built as a mining operation, so the runway was designed to fit the needs of mining travel. As such, there is no room for error on landing.
The airport is mainly used by charter airlines travelling to mining settlements. Landing at the airport is challenging because there are no runway lights and it’s surrounded by mountains. Aircrafts have to use what’s called a serpentine approach, meaning they fly in a zig-zag pattern so that they can spot the ground before landing.
Toncontin Airport, Honduras
Toncontin is one of the scariest airports in the world. It is said to be hard to land because the airport has a mountain on one side and a cliff on the other. There are also some difficult navigation issues as well because there are no runway lights at night. The airport, which sits at 9,400 ft above sea level, is mainly used for military flights but it does have some commercial flights to Houston and Guatemala City.
It is notoriously hard to land at because of the mountainous terrain surrounding it. Locals say that pilots must have nerves of steel to make the landing. The runway is 3,980 feet long and 35 feet wide at its widest spot. The runway rises 2,200 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest airports in the world.
It’s not only scary because of its difficult landing conditions but also because it’s close to a volcano. The airport is located just 10 miles away from the active Volcán de Fuego.
Paro Airport, Bhutan
Paro airport is in Bhutan and is one of the scariest airports in the world. It has a short runway which only accommodates propeller planes. The airport also has a mountain on one side and no room for error if there’s a storm. Planes also have to be lighter than normal because of the short runway, so it can be difficult for them to take off with so much weight on board.
It is a tricky airport to land because it is situated at an elevation of 10,316 feet. It’s hard to land the plane while the air is thin. The runway is short and irregular with gravel and rocks making it difficult for planes to take off.
Final Thoughts
There are many airports that are considered to be the scariest in the world. They each have specific features which make them more frightening than others. One of the most difficult aspects of flying is just getting to the airport. So, if you want to avoid a potential fright during your flight, then avoid these airports.
