High altitude airfield. The most dangerous airports in the world. Courchevel Airport in France
A water landing, a direct course towards a mountain, a 45-degree landing detour, a 5.5 km runway in Tibet and a place where no more than ten people in the world can land - in our selection of airports where you would never that they would not have agreed to land if they had seen them in advance.
Courchevel (France)
Looking at the photo of the runway of this mountainous place, I would like to immediately give Courchevel airport the title of the most terrible in the world. When you find out that the length of the runway is 525 meters, there are depressions on it and there is no course and glide path system to help pilots when landing, the desire intensifies. But in fact, not everything is so scary: large planes do not land in Courchevel, and for small ones such a runway is more than enough. Although it all looks really scary.
Narsarsuaq (Greenland)
Narsarsuaq - Chief international airport Greenland, and all 160 residents of the settlement of the same name are in one way or another connected with the reception and dispatch of aircraft. Expecting a comfortable and aesthetic airport from an island with a harsh climate and a sparse population is absurd. The length of the runway here is fine, but the danger lies in the fjords surrounding the airport, flying next to which it is easy to get into severe turbulence. In addition, there is water in front of the runway, and a mountain right behind it. In winter everything seems even more dangerous.
Agatti (Lakshadweep, India)
Among 36 coral islands Lakshadweep (another name is Laccadives) is only 11 inhabited, and an airport was built on only one - on Agatti Island. And even then, it is clearly not long enough, and inexperienced pilots are better off landing somewhere else. Take-off landing strip limited to a distance of 1219 meters, and beyond that is the ocean. Local authorities are considering projects to increase the length, but for now it is really very dangerous to land here.
Paro (Bhutan)
There are only a dozen pilots in the world who have the required level of skill to land at Paro Airport, which has a runway less than 2 km long. Around the city there are mountains up to five thousand meters high, on the slopes of which tall trees grow, and before landing the plane carefully maneuvers between these hulks. It's no surprise that the vast majority of tourists go to Paro for the locals. Buddhist temples- after such an extreme flight you need to find good place for meditation and calming the nerves.
Madeira (Portugal)
A popular Portuguese island off the coast of Africa greets tourists with a very dangerous landing. The runway on Madeira was extended to almost 3 km, but the main problem was not it, or rather not only it, but also the maneuver that the pilots perform when landing. For some time the plane goes straight up the mountain, and then sharply goes to the right in the direction of the runway. To avoid panic, it is recommended not to look out of the windows when landing.
Toncontin Airport (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
Firstly, the airport is located in a valley among the mountains. Secondly, it stands in the middle of the city. Thirdly, aircraft arrivals and departures go through one side. Fourthly, the length of the strip is less than 2 km. Fifth, before landing, pilots need to make a sharp detour at an angle of 45 degrees. All of the above clearly does not improve flight safety, but large aircraft like the Boeing 757 continue to fly regularly to Tegucigalpa.
When the territory of the state is only 6.5 km 2, you need to be prepared for non-standard solutions to standard problems. In the case of the airport, which is located in the middle of the city, we had to arrange a very ordinary transfer. Here, too, a barrier and a traffic light are used, but it all looks more impressive than in the classic railway version. A highway in the middle of the runway adds more work to dispatchers and allows you to come up with a bunch of amazing scenarios with a car appearing under the wheels of an airplane.
Bamda (China)
The highest airport in the world is located in Tibet at an altitude of 4334 meters above sea level. The main problem here is not even the tall mountains, but the thin air, which causes discomfort for pilots and passengers and affects engine performance. Due to the latter factor, the runway had to be increased to 5.5 km. In order for the landing to go smoothly, pilots need to be extremely concentrated and carefully monitor the sensor readings.
Barra (Scotland)
Isle of Barra Outer Airport Hebrides- one of the most unusual in the world. Its uniqueness is that planes land in the bay directly on the water, on which three runways in the shape of a triangle are marked using wooden poles. At the same time, the water level is constantly changing due to the ebb and flow of the tides.
Lukla (Nepal)
The main problem of the airport in Lukla is the difficult surrounding landscape. On one side of the runway there is a gaping abyss, on the other there is a towering mountain, and all this at an altitude of almost 2860 meters above sea level. The airport in Lukla is one of the closest to Everest, therefore it is a popular starting point for climbers who decide to conquer the most high mountain planets. It seems that for those who decide to make such a journey, a dangerous landing in Lukla will be the least of their problems.
A large number of people are sincerely afraid of air travel, and everyone has their own reasons for this. People who understand air transport and the features of its management understand perfectly well that the most dangerous thing during flights is performing takeoff and landing operations. Of course, we must not forget about natural factors factors that affect peace of mind during travel, including rocky terrain, mountains, sandy coasts and other features of the natural landscape that must be taken into account by the airline crew. Next, we will consider the most dangerous airports world, where takeoff and landing maneuvers require special skill and extreme concentration from the crew.
Juancho E. Yrausquin
First on our list air gate are on one of the most beautiful islands Caribbean – Saba. This is perhaps the most dangerous airport in the world, topping the list due to its catastrophically short runway. Its length is equal to approximately 396 meters. However, if this fact can still be somehow reconciled, then the picture is complemented by high cliffs surrounding the landing zone and a nearby steep slope leading directly to the ocean.
Landing here requires absolute concentration from the crew - incorrect calculations can cost the lives of all passengers, since there is a high probability that the ship will fall into the abyss. Most pilots try to avoid this airport. Even professionals don’t risk flying here. Takeoff and landing maneuvers are often quite difficult even for small aircraft. Weather conditions on the island are also sometimes unpredictable. Of course, this situation leads to a significant decrease in the flow of tourists wanting to relax on this island, even despite the beauty and privacy of this paradise.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Qamdo Bamda
The Tibetan air complex Qamdo Bamda became the height record holder. Its location at 4250 meters exceeds sea level. Taking off and landing at such an altitude is very dangerous, so the airport is equipped with a fairly large runway and landing zone, the duration of which is 3,500 meters. But both large and small aircraft are still allowed to serve here.
Even at sea level, approach speed is 241 km/h. To ensure a safe landing and a complete stop, the average aircraft may need about 1520 meters, but at the altitude at which the Tibetan airfield is located, this distance is at least doubled.
Qamdo Bamda Airport
Gustaf III
The next air hub is located on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy. The conditions here are quite strict for pilots:
- firstly, the takeoff and landing area here has a very narrow corridor, which threatens the planes getting catastrophically close to the hillsides of the local landscape during landing;
- secondly, the length of the airport’s runway is only 640 meters, which is only suitable for small aircraft (up to 20 passengers);
- thirdly, the lane starts at the road junction and ends right at local beach, because of which planes fly directly over the heads of vacationers.
Gustaf III air gate
Ice Runway
You can guess the features of the next runway just by its name alone. It made it onto our list of the 10 most dangerous airports in the world because of its ice cover, and also because unpredictable weather conditions reigning in this area. This strip, located in Antarctica, is used primarily to meet the needs of McMurdo Station. In order to somehow ease the task facing the crew, the runway is carefully looked after, turning it into a well-groomed landing area. area of ice and snow. Landing here is complicated by the fact that the pilot needs to calculate whether the ice will break under the weight of the aircraft, and whether the ship will get stuck in the snow. If suddenly the ice here begins to thaw a little, planes are immediately redirected to other Antarctic air hubs.
Ice Runway
Courchevel
Probably everyone has heard about one of the the best ski resorts Europe - Courchevel. It is located in the town of the same name in the French Alps. But this place became famous not only for its excellent conditions for first-class sports recreation. The popular resort has own airport, located right in the middle of the mountains.
The Courchevel airfield became the main location in one of the legendary Bond films, Tomorrow Never Dies, in which the main character manages to skillfully land a plane on a dangerous runway.
The air complex was forced to be built on a mountain slope, the slope of which is 18 degrees. But there are other difficulties for pilots:
- hump on the runway;
- The length of the local landing zone is about 530 meters.
Needless to say, flying to Courchevel turns into a very exciting journey. Quite often, flights here are canceled due to bad weather conditions.
Courchevel Airport - famous and dangerous
Barra
The unique beach-airport is located in Barra Island (Scotland). This is a unique air complex, the runway of which is beach. It is noteworthy that during high tide it is completely filled with water, so flights must be planned taking into account these natural factors.
The only aid pilots have when landing during night tides is the light from the headlights of passing cars.
In order for vacationers to know about the arrival of planes, special warning signs. The landing here is breathtaking not only for the crew, but also for the locals.
Unique beach-airport of Barra
Toncontin
The Honduran airport is notorious around the world due to several accidents. The airfield began to serve aircraft in 1934. In those days, aircraft were not so powerful, and they did not require much space to accelerate and take off. The take-off and landing zone of the complex extends 2133 meters and is located in a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains. It is also worth noting that Toncontin has only one way for aircraft to take off and land.
Toncontin airport
Tenzing-Hillary
Tenzing-Hillary Airfield is located in eastern Nepal. It caters mainly to climbers: some dream of conquering Everest, while others are simply interested in the region. All guests traveling by plane already on approach understand the dangers of flying and landing in these places. Riots quite often occur in the region strong wind currents and dominate thick cloud cover. It is quite difficult to perform any maneuvers here. In addition, one end of the local runway ends in a sharp drop-off.
Tenzing-Hillary Airfield
Madeira
The danger of the Portuguese airport of Madeira lies in the relatively short length of its runways. Rocks and ocean they literally squeezed the air complex together. The crew of any aircraft faces a very difficult task– first drive the car towards the mountains, and then make flip flop before completing the maneuver.
The airport's runway is built on high pillars, and the structure itself resembles a bridge.
The famous Madeira airport
Gibraltar
The Gibraltar air hub deservedly found itself in our top. It is considered not only one of the most dangerous, but also an extremely busy airport in the world. The highlight of this airfield was its location runway– it crosses one of the main streets of the city! Every time an airliner takes off or lands, all city traffic has to be completely stopped.
According to most pilots, takeoff and landing are the most dangerous moments of flight. However, some conditions are riskier than others, but it seems that no amount of mountaintops, cliffsides, crowded beaches or major roads can stop the brave pilots featured on this list who work in these conditions every day.
In this list we will describe the most extreme and dangerous airports from around the world. So, fasten your seat belts:
10. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Saba Island
Getting to this amazingly beautiful Caribbean island is not easy, thanks to the runway, which is only 396 meters long - which is just a little longer than most runways on aircraft carriers. The incredibly short runway is surrounded by high cliffs, and is dangerously close to a steep slope that leads straight into the ocean.
For these reasons, this airport is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. A pilot's misjudgment during takeoff can send the plane straight into the abyss. Large planes avoid the airport for obvious reasons, but even very small planes such as Cessnas find landing difficult, especially in poor weather conditions. Well, at least everyone knows what is to blame for the constant decline in tourism on the island.
9. Qamdo Bamda Airport
Tibet
Chandu Banda Airport is the highest airport in the world, located more than 4330 meters above sea level. In addition to the height of this airport, it also has an almost 5.5-kilometer runway.
A runway sixty football fields long may seem like overkill, but obviously the length of the runway is critical to landing safely at high altitudes. When a plane begins descending into an area at sea level at 241 kilometers per hour, it requires a runway of at least 1,524 meters to come to a complete stop. But when it lands on terrain more than 4,330 meters above sea level, the length of the runway required to bring it to a complete stop must be twice as long.
Traveling at high altitudes can actually be extremely dangerous and travelers should be aware of the dangers before they even fly to such places.
8. Gustaf III Airport
Saint Barthélemy
The small airport Gustav III, on Caribbean island Saint Barthelemy exposes both pilots and passengers to quite serious dangers. The route on which the runway was built is incredibly narrow, and planes land alarmingly close to the surrounding area's high slopes, creating the risk of the plane crashing into the ocean with each landing.
This YouTube video does a great job of illustrating what you'll go through if something goes wrong during landing. It’s good that at least in this case no one was even slightly injured.
7. Ice Runway
Antarctica
The dangers of the Icy Runway have more to do with the extreme weather conditions the pilot must contend with than the layout or location of the airport itself. The ice runway is one of the three largest airstrips used to transport scientists and supplies to McMurdo Station in Antarctica. As its name suggests, there are no tarmac roads here - just long strips of carefully cleared ice and snow.
There is no shortage of space on the Ice Runway, so even a huge aircraft can land here with relative ease. The difficulty is to land the plane so that its weight, combined with the weight of its cargo, does not break through the ice and so that the plane does not get stuck in soft snow. Once the ice on that runway begins to break up, planes are diverted to Pegasus Field and Williams Field, the other two runways serving the station.
6. Courchevel Airport
France
City of Courchevel in French Alps is one of the most famous ski resorts in Europe, but the city seems to owe much of its fame to its airport, which is located in the mountains. Courchevel Airport is famous not only for its incredibly high and strange place location, but also because he played an important role in the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, in which Mr. Bond successfully landed a plane at an extremely dangerous airport.
5. Barra International Airport International Airport)
Scotland
It is quite possibly the only airport in the world that also serves as a beach. Takeoffs and landings at Barra Airport take place on the same sand that people walk on during off-hours. And that's not all: during high tide in the evening, the illumination from the headlights of all passing cars helps the pilot to land the plane. For those who just want to enjoy a romantic walk along the beach, warning signs have been placed informing people of any aircraft landings expected in the near future.
Believe it or not, Barra is still an officially recognized international airport by the Air Traffic Organization, and it seems that any logical or rational proposals are not taken into account by the authorities. We can only hope that they are more aware of all the intricacies of this airport location than we are!
4. Toncontin International Airport
Honduras
In Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, you can land at one of the most dangerous and notorious airports in the world. It has been the subject of several accidents, including a plane crash in 2008 that killed five passengers. This airport was opened back in 1934, when planes were less powerful and did not need such long runways.
The Tonkotin runway is just over 2,133 meters long and is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. And what’s even more incredible - on at the moment The danger of this airport is that it only has one runway and one landing strip for aircraft, which greatly increases the risk of accidents. Despite all these high risk factors, this airport still lands on a daily basis. large planes, like Boeing 757.
3. Tenzing-Hillary Airport
Nepal
The airport was originally called Lukla Airport, but was later renamed Tenzing and Hillary Airport to honor the memory of the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Located in the city of Lukla, Nepal, the airport serves thousands of rock climbers hoping to "conquer" Everest, as well as recreational mountaineers wishing to explore the Everest region.
Among the dangers of this airport are strong winds and heavy clouds - but these are not the worst factors. As with Gustavus III Airport, one end of the Tenzing-Hillary airport runway ends in high terrain, but instead of beautiful sandy beach at the other end you will fall down 609 meters.
There have already been several accidents at this airport, and the last one occurred on October 12, 2010.
2. Madeira Airport
Portugal
When Madeira International Airport first opened in 1964, each of its two main runways was no more than 1,600 meters long.
After a horrific accident in 1977, during which a Boeing 727 crashed on landing stone bridge and ended up on the beach, one of the runways was extended by 200 meters. In the early 2000s, the runway was extended even further and now runs across the beach and is supported by columns.
Even taking into account that the runway has been extended, the most ordinary landing still seems difficult even for the most experienced pilots. Against all their instincts, and in order to set the plane on the correct course for landing, pilots must first point the plane at the vague outline of a mountain top, and then quickly veer to the left to avoid colliding with the mountain.
1. Gibraltar Airport
Gibraltar
Not only is Gibraltar Airport one of the most dangerous airports in the world, but it is also one of the busiest (especially compared to the other dangerous airports on this list). No matter how incredible it may sound, the route of this airport actually runs through the main street of the city.
Vehicles forced to stop every time a plane lands or takes off. Even more surprising is that there has never been a single major accident here - and we hope that none will happen here.
Many people are afraid to fly, but, according to many pilots, it is dangerous, and it is not the flight itself that is scary, but the takeoff and landing of the aircraft. According to the statistics we all love, every 6 people on the planet experience exciting sensations during a flight or while waiting for a flight.
But there are also those who are happy to go on a trip, and even better if it is filled with extreme sports and adrenaline. In order to protect the former and please the latter, we have prepared list of the most dangerous airports in the world, and it is not surprising that almost all of them are located in exotic and distant countries. So go ahead and grab your suitcase and new exciting experiences!
1. Saba Island. AirportJuanchoE.Yrausquin. this airport equipped with a runway of 400 meters, which is the smallest in the world. On one side the strip abuts the mountains, and on the other side it ends with a cliff above Caribbean Sea. According to official data, this airport is closed, but there are exceptions (they are made by Dutch aviation).
2.Tibet, Chamdo district. AirportQamdoBamda. It is located at an altitude of 4,334 meters above sea level and is highest altitude airport in the world. Due to the thin air (which affects the engines), the runway is one of the longest at 5,500 meters.
3.Antarctica. AirportIceRunway. It’s difficult to call it an airport; most of all, it looks like a large, well-maintained piece of ice. However, many aircraft (mostly cargo planes) regularly take off and land, each time overcoming snow and cold.
4. Gibraltar. AirportGibraltar. It can rightfully be called an engineering nightmare, since the runway is highways, and the airport itself is located just 500 meters from the city center.
5.Portugal. AirportMadeira. The airport is located literally at the junction of the mountains and the sea, and the runway is more like a bridge. In order to lengthen it, it was necessary to install 180 columns, the height of which is about 60 meters.
6.Sep-Martin. AirportPrincess Juliana. An airfield was built here during the Second World War; today it is the largest international airport in the Caribbean.
The danger with the runway is that it is located close to the beach. Planes operate regularly and fly just 15 meters above the heads of vacationers.
7.France. AirportCourchevel. I couldn't popular resort the world could do without an airport, so they found a way out and built one of the most dangerous in the world. The runway extends only 525 meters, and what’s more, it is at a slope of 18.5 degrees. Moreover, the functionality of the airport is limited during fog.
8.Butane. AirportParo. This international airport is located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters above sea level, and is surrounded by peaks 5,000 and above. Accordingly, one can imagine how professional a pilot must be if he decided to undertake one of the most difficult takeoffs/landings. By the way, there are only 8 such pilots in the world (who are considered quite qualified).
9.Spitzberg (Svalbard, Grumant). AirportSvalbard.It is located on the territory of the polar archipelago and is the northernmost civil airport in the world, it is also the largest structure in the archipelago. Its closest neighbor is Mount Platoberg. The airport has international status, as it has direct flights not only to Oslo, Ny-Ålesund and Seva, but also to Barentsburg.
10.Honduras. AirportToncontin. In fact, it is possible not to use this airport, but this is Honduras. Its danger lies not only in geographical location, but also that it is surrounded by mountains, and also has a runway that is too short, from which it is quite easy for planes to slide off.
In fact, this is not the entire list of the most dangerous airports in the world; most are located in very small and inconspicuous towns and look so terrifying that this is a completely different topic, for example, “which airports should no one ever visit.” It's amazing how often human ingenuity works against the person himself.
In fact, all takeoffs and landings at these airports are carried out professional pilots with a lot of experience, but this does not mean that everything depends on them.
Airports are already dangerous, but what if... weather conditions unfavorable, and you decide to take such a flight, it’s better to stay in one of these beautiful places and enjoy it for another day or two local beauty, thereby saving your life and getting additional positive emotions.
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The highest airport in the world is Daochen Yading, located in Sichuan province. It was built at an altitude of 4411 meters above sea level. Before this, the title of record holder belonged to Kuamdo Bamdo, built in Tibet. The latter is 77 meters lower than the current record holder.
Surprisingly, the highest altitude airport was built in just two years. Its construction cost $255,000,000. Currently, the company's aircraft Air China» fly exclusively to Chengdu, the capital of the province where Daochen Yading is located. However, this can be called a major breakthrough for the local Chinese. It used to take people two days to reach Chengdu. Today, 800 kilometers are covered in 65 minutes. Chengdu Daochen Yading flights operate daily, and the cost of the flight is only 1600 yuan, which ranges from $262.
The highest airport is located 159 kilometers from the world-famous landmark. Jaajin Nature Reserve, also called Shangri-La, is the unofficial "last clean place on Earth." The local landscapes are amazingly beautiful. It can be assumed that after the construction of the airport, the flow of curious tourists here will increase. This forecast is also obvious because flights from Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Shanghai will be heading here in the near future. According to experts, the flow of passengers in this region will be increased to half a million people.
