flight can be a white - knuckle affair for even the heartiest of travelers . But it change by reversal out what you should really reverence are airdrome ; almost 60 percentage of all aircraft incident happen there during taxiing , take - off , approach or landing . Here are runway horrorshows from around the Earth that may make you rethink your next trip .
Barra Airport, in the Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland. Yes, it is a beach for take-off and landing. At least it’s only for daytime flights.
exposure : calflier001
Water, water, Chubu Centrair International Airport, water, water. (Tokoname, Japan.)
Photo : Kyodo News / AP
Approaching the Congonhas Airport in the middle of Sao Paulo, Brazil is highly challenging for pilots.
exposure : Joao Carlos Medau
Another risky beach airport: the Copalis State Airport’s (Grays Harbor County, Washington) runway is located between the Copalis River delta and a barrier of rocks.
pic : Alex Derr
The mountain runway at Courchevel Airport (France) is just 545m long. As if that’s not scary enough, it’s also got a gradient of 18.5% and a vertical drop at the end.
photograph : Peter Robinett
Gibraltar Airport is located between a bustling city and a crashtastic mountain. Moreover, its 1800m long (short) runway intersects the Winston Churchill Avenue, Gibraltar’s busiest road, which has to be closed every time a plane lands or departs.
Photo : kimhollingshead
This is the Gustaf III Airport aka Saint Barthélemy Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. The short airstrip starts with a slope and ends on the beach.
picture : John M
Kai Tak International Airport, famous and hated for its heart-stopping approach low over Hong Kong, ended its 73-year reign of terror in 1998.
Photo : Vincent Yu / AP
Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan. Approaching this feels like your pilot is about to land on water.
Photo : mrhayata
Between mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, on the island cliffs, waits the frightening Madeira Airport (Portugal).
Photo : Thilo Hilberer
Look at the horrifying Matekane Air Strip in Lesotho (Africa). 400m, and then nothing.
photograph : Tom Claytor
Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland. Severe turbulences and winds from the surrounding fjords make this airport a hard task for pilots. Only daytime take-offs and landings allowed, thankfully.
Photo : Jim Stewart
Paro International Airport, the home of the Royal Bhutan Airlines, is located at an altitude of 2236m and surrounded by over 5000m-high-peaks of the Himalayas. Night or foggy landings are strictly prohibited.
Photo : Gelay Jamtsho
Pegasus White Ice Runway, Antarctica, the southernmost of three airfields serving McMurdo Station. Believe it or not, aircraft take off and land here all year long.
Photo : technical school . Sgt . Shane A. Cuomo / U.S. Air Force
Because of the short (2300m) runway at Princess Juliana International Airport (St. Maarten), large planes fly right over the tourists’ head on Maho Beach. It’s a spectacular sight—from the ground.
exposure : Takashi
A densely populated neighborhood, a cramped runway, active volcanoes, and frequent fog make Quito’s high-altitude airport a threat for only a little longer; Ecuador’s main airport is going to be moved to an agricultural setting 12 miles (20km) northeast of the city.
exposure : Dolores Ochoa / AP
Svalbard Airport in Longyearbyen on the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard in the Barents Sea was built upon a layer of permafrost in 1975. Continuous repaving makes it a hard landing place, literally and figuratively.
Photo : runic letter Petter Ness / AP
The Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla, Nepal) is located 2860m above sea level, and its runway is only a few hundred meters long.
Photo : Alex Smith
Toncontín International Airporthas an extremely short runway—and a mountainous surrounding—in Honduras.
exposure : Enrique Galeano Morales
Toronto Islands Airport (Ontairo, Canada) is another pinpoint landing site. Andthere’s a nude beachclose to the runway, which I’m sure isn’t the least bit distracting.
Photo : John Steadman
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba. This Caribbean landing site is surrounded by high hills, and both ends of the runway drop into the sea.
photograph : Patrick Hawks
Wellington, New Zealand: short runway, hilly landscape, strong crosswinds, turbulent landings.
pic : Phillip Capper
Williams Field, Antarctica, has two snow runways limited to ski-equipped aircraft during the summer season. Airplanes land on 8m of compacted snow, lying on top of 80m of ice, floating over 550m of water. Must be a blood-chilling experience.
pic : U.S. Air Force
Top simulacrum : Target for Tonight - Toronto , O’Keefe ’s ad ( Mayfair , March 1944 ) viaJamie
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