Skip to content

Top 10 Most Dangerous Airports in the World

Congonhas airport

Congonhas Airport is well-known for being close to the beach. This Airport’s path is over the water, leading up to the beach right before landing. The aircraft travels at such a low height that it appears only a foot above the heads of beachgoers at Maho Beach. It is well-known for its strong gusts on approach. Congonhas Airport also features a 2179-meter-long runway. Despite its small length, pilots take great care to land in the proper touchdown zone on the runway.

Courchevel airport

This Airport serves the French Alps ski resort of Courchevel. Most aviation sites consider this Airport one of the world’s most dangerous. Pilots must navigate narrow passageways between the Alps when approaching or departing from the Airport, with no ground landing or take-off operations. There are no lights or instrument approach procedures to help pilots navigate in the dark or during mist, fog, or the clouds, further complicating the situation. Due to the surrounding mountains, the only clear guideline is a no-round. The 1762 feet runway is not just exceedingly short, but it is also a downslope runway. In this condition, pilots risk falling off the cliff if they do not achieve enough speed for take-off.

Gibraltar international airport

At the foot of Gibraltar plateau stands one of the most amazing airports in the world. The fact that the runway of the Airport crosses Winston Churchill Avenue, the busiest route on the island going to the Spanish border, makes it one of the most dangerous airports in the world. When a jet takes off, the vehicles must come to a halt. As a result, there are barriers and signals to govern the movement of vehicles on that road. At this point, three accidents have occurred at Gibraltar airport.

Wellington international airport

Wellington International Airport, which serves New Zealand’s capital, is the country’s third-busiest Airport. Wellington International Airport has a very short runway (6,351 feet) and water bodies on both ends, making it one of the world’s most dangerous airports. As a result, in order to avoid any unnecessary water dips, the pilot must know exactly where to land and take off. Strong winds are known for making landings even more difficult as the planes approach through the mountainous area. Once you disembark, you may be caught in hurricane-force winds.

Narsarsuaq airport

Narsarsuaq Airport in Greenland is not just one of the most dangerous airports globally, but it is also a historical landmark. It is situated in the south of Greenland, amid numerous bay. The lone runway is approximately 1,830 metres long, making landing difficult for pilots. Narsarsuaq Airport, like the other ice airports, is constantly coated with ice. The temperature in this area can reach high levels, making it difficult for the pilot to carry out their duties efficiently. The weather in this location is quite stormy, resulting in constant turbulence in the plane.

Princess Juliana international airport

Princess Juliana International Airport is built on the public seashore. To land at Princess Juliana International Airport, one of the busiest in the Caribbean, pilots must fly over a small section of the beach, cross over the barrier, pass over the road, and finally land on the runway. At approximately 7,150 feet long, the Airport’s landing strip is far too short. Large aeroplanes require at least 8,000 feet to land safely, while some extremely large planes require 10,000 feet. It was designed for small and medium-sized planes however even bigger sized planes land here making it tough for the pilots.

Paro airport

What do you think of an airport where only 17 pilots are allowed to land because it’s so tough to navigate? How risky is landing at this modest airfield, with its 6,500-foot runway nestled beneath 18,000-foot Himalayan Mountains peaks? Bhutan’s only international Airport, Paro International Airport, is located 7,364 feet above sea level in the Himalayas. Arrivals and departures are only permitted during the day, and even then, pilots must be extremely competent to avoid the plane’s nose rubbing against the mountains. They steer the plane at a 45-degree angle and avoid cliff-top residences to achieve a successful descent.

Yrausquin airport

In truth, there was no need to build an airport on Saba because there was no suitable location. Each proposed place was initially deemed too dangerous – until the mayor of St. Barts finally landed secretly on the peak that now houses Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport. Saba Airport is built from that same landing. It’s a stroke of luck that no mishaps have occurred here because it climbs a mountain on one side and runs right into the sea on the other. This implies that in an emergency, the plane cannot simply land. The track is officially one of the shortest globally, at around 400 metres.

Madeira airport

Engineers had to construct a platform to enlarge this runway, perched between cliffs and the ocean. They constructed a series of platforms on an artificial island that extended from the existing runway. Over 180 columns support the runway, which must sustain significant shock loading during landings. After completing extensive simulator training, a limited number of pilots are qualified to fly into this Airport. Because there is no instrument landing, the Airport requires coordinated efforts to detect landmarks during the approach. Strong winds, towering mountains on one side, and the ocean on the other make the Airport risky.

Lukla airport

The Lukla airport serves as Mount Everest’s primary air gateway. Lukla, a little hamlet at the foot of Mount Everest, features one of the world’s most dangerous airports. It is the notorious Airport, the gateway to Everest, and without a doubt, the extremely compact and bustling Airport. When you Google “most dangerous airports in the world,” Lukla will come up first. Lukla Airport is located in eastern Nepal at 2,845 metres above sea level. The airport runway, which is only 1,729 feet in length, is a major problem for pilots arriving at Lukla. The Airport’s small runway makes it riskier. This Airport lacks an advanced traffic control system. There is also insufficient lighting. There is a limited selection of electric lighting. This is known as the most dangerous ‘airport landing’ since planes must fly over Mount Everest, one of the world’s highest destinations, to reach the Airport.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *