MORE NIGHTMARE AIRPORTS

PARO AIRPORT, BHUTAN

The fact that only eight pilots out of thousands globally are

qualified to land there should tell you the story about this

Himalayan airport. However, if you’re not impressed by the

aforementioned fact you might be impressed learning that

Paro Airport is 1.5 miles above sea level and surrounded by

sharp peaks of up to 18,000 feet, while the runway is just 6,500 feet long.

Lastly, it’s rumoured that the passengers flying to this tiny airport,

which is literally nestled among the steep mountains of the

Himalayas, usually take anti-anxiety meds before the flight

to steady their nerves.

KAI TAK AIRPORT, HONG KONG

This place was considered by many pilots as the planet’s scariest

airport and for that reason it finally closed in 1998. The strong crosswinds

and the surrounding mountains only added to the difficulties of landing

there and at one time this destination was one of the most avoided for

local travellers. They didn’t call it “the mother of all scary airports”

for nothing.

BARRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SCOTLAND

Barra International Airport is truly unique for being the only airport

on the planet where scheduled flights use a beach as the runway.

Yep, you read that right; the beach is set out with three runways

making a triangle, marked by permanent wooden poles at their ends

which almost always allows Twin Otters to land into the wind.

CONGONHAS AIRPORT, BRAZIL

The dangerous and simultaneously odd thing about this airport is

the fact that it is located only five miles from the city’s downtown.

As every experienced traveller knows, the most populous and

big cities in the world usually construct their airports several miles

away from the city’s centre for safety reasons but apparently

the people of São Paulo didn’t get the memo. As a result, every landing

at this airport becomes a challenge in terms of safety while the

pilots need strong doses of alcohol after the flight to calm

themselves down.

GISBORNE AIRPORT, NEW ZEALAND

It might sound like an overstatement to some but this might be the

craziest and most strangely dangerous airport in the world. Why? See,

the Palmerston North–Gisborne railway line cuts straight across the

airport’s main runway. Yep, you read that correctly: the air traffic controllers

must coordinate take offs and landings with train arrivals among other

things and even though the rail line has recently closed because of

storm damage, the airport is still open and functional but it only

carries freight not people since 2001.

LUKLA AIRPORT, NEPAL

This tiny airport in the town of Lukla, Nepal, is also known as

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, and was rated the most dangerous airport in the

world in 2010 by the History Channel. It is located at an immense height

of 2,900 meters, while its landing strip has a high mountain on one end

and over a thousand metre drop on the other.

COURCHEVEL ALTIPORT, FRANCE

Courchevel Altiport is one of the most dangerous airports in the

world despite serving the rich who want to ski in the French Alps.

Getting to the iconic ski resort of the same name requires

navigating the formidable French Alps before making a hair-raising

landing at Courchevel Airport. The runway is about 1,700 feet long,

but the real surprise is the large hill toward the middle of the strip.

OLD MARISCAL SUCRE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,

ECUADOR

The Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport was the worst nightmare

for pilots, even for the most experienced. To begin with, it was a

high-altitude airport that lay right in the heart of Ecuador’s densely

populated capital, a fact that dramatically increased the risk factors.

Furthermore, the mountainous terrain, the many active volcanoes,

and a valley prone to fog made landing there a mission impossible,

while the icing on the cake was the horrible runway that was known for

being notoriously bumpy. Fortunately, it finally closed and was replaced

by the new Mariscal Sucre International Airport