1. Gustaf III Airport, Saint-Barthélemy, French Antilles
Anyone wishing to spend a vacation on this dream island must face a scary flight to say the least . Just before touching the runway, the plane flies over a very busy road . Moreover, the track is very short so that the pilots must receive special training to be able to face it. And it’s not over. Also the take-off is terrible: the plane touches the heads of the vacationers who sunbathe on the nearby beach.
2. Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla, Nepal
Point of passage for many expeditions directed to the climb of Everest, often the wind conditions and the visibility worsen the situation, taking into account the precipice that precedes the runway .
3. Barra International Airport, Scotland
This small airport is one of only two in the world where incoming flights use the beach as a reference point for landing . In fact, to calculate the right time the tides must be taken into account as the track may disappear under the water . For the breathtaking view that can be admired from above it is often used as a set for films .
4. Madeira Airport, Funchal, Portugal
For the extreme maneuvers that the pilot must face before approaching the runway and for his position along the coast.
5. Gibraltar International Airport, United Kingdom
The runway intersects with city traffic like a railway, with a level crossing, traffic is interrupted every time a plane has to pass. Incredibly, no incidents have ever occurred.
6. Courchevel Airport, France
The runway of this tiny airport is in the middle of the mountains on the French Alps. In winter it is even more dangerous with snow.
7. Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, China
The airport was closed in 1998 because of its danger. The descent, in fact, took place in the midst of skyscrapers and mountains . That is why many flights have not even been able to touch the runway either because they came back or because they crashed .
8. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba Island, Netherlands Antilles
The very short track (only 400 meters) of this Caribbean island can be seen just behind a mountain only at the last moment. In fact, it is estimated that it is the shortest landing strip in the world and touching the ground for pilots is definitely a challenge.
9. Princess Juliana International Airport, St Maarten / St Martin, Lesser Antilles
This airport is so close to Maho Beach that larger aircraft like the Boeing 747s are forced to fly very low to be able to touch the ground on a very short runway. This beach is very popular with island vacationers , half French and half Dutch, who love to see planes landing and the show has become one of the most practiced sports on the island. However, a sign warns tourists that the air moved by jet engines could knock them down or even kill them.
10. Mariscal Sucre Airport, Quito, Ecuador
This port is surrounded by huge volcanoes and its altitude (2,800 meters) along with a rather short runway makes landing very challenging for the pilots who have to run it. The mountains, in fact, force you to make a very tight curve during the approach phase. Too much, perhaps, given that since the airport was opened there have been 10 serious accidents during the turn.