6 Of The Most Dangerous International Airports

Generally, a comfortable journey to your destination sets the tone for a satisfying vacation, while a rough landing chafes us enough to ruin our mood throughout the trip. However, you will agree that there is an element of thrill in enduring a rough ride. Particularly, when the seatbelt light goes on, the air-hostess keeps repeating the safety guidelines, and you feel your co-passengers go anxious in their seats – there is an undeniable spike of excitement in all this.

1. SVALBOARD AIRPORT, LONGYEAR

Svalboard is mostly ice and snow. As you arrive at this runway which has been built using permafrost, you will see nothing but shifting ice on the water and loads of snow. The airport is risky not just because of the slippery nature of the runway, but also because of unpredictable climactic situations, making landing pretty difficult.

2. GIBRALTAR AIRPORT, GIBRALTAR, BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY

The runway is so small that it actually uses a portion of a busy street. You will not recognize that this is a runway until you see a plane landing or taking off.

3. JUANCHO E YRAUSQUIN, SABA, NETHERLANDS

With a distance of just 1300 feet, Juancho is the shortest commercial runway on earth. However, being the sole airport in Saba it fills a crucial role in the day-to-day lives of the people residing here. One tiny error, and the plane could possibly land in water rather than on land. The airport is a major challenge even for experienced pilots.

4. COURCHEVEL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, COURCHEVEL, FRANCE

Courchevel Airport has a hill situated in the center of the 1700-foot runway. Courchevel is a well-known ski resort, but reaching this place is no easy task. The French Alps, although beautiful, can be a difficult task for any pilot who is looking to land his flight at the Courchevel International Airport.

5. PRINCESS JULIANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SIMPSON BAY, SAINT MAARTEN

This airport is located right next to a tourist beach. The plane has to hover alarmingly close to a busy beachfront and a much busier road right before landing. People on the beach have a risk of hearing problems once the plane flies down with tremendous noise. People and commuters on the road seem at high risk of getting blown away by strong jet blast.

6. LUKLA AIRPORT, NEPAL

The airport at Lukla, Nepal is at the top of the list of most dangerous airports in a newly released survey by History channel. Lukla serves as the base camp from where trekkers to the Himalaya start. Naturally, the airport in Lukla gets a great deal of traffic. Given its risky conditions, it sees a lot of fatalities, as well.