The Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal, also known as Lukla Airport, is one of the world’s most dangerous airports. At an altitude of nearly 9,500 feet, with the mercurial Himalayan weather, and a sheer drop, the airport can send shivers to the most courageous of the lot.
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Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten
The airport’s runway is just over 7,500 feet in length, which puts it right on the limit for larger jets arriving. This translates to aircraft having to use every single foot of runway, and serves for very low aircraft passing over the water at the end of the runway on arrival.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport, Portugal
It is commonly known as Madeira Airport or Funchal Airport, is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portuguese archipelago and autonomous region of Madeira. It suffers from extreme crosswinds at times due to its location in the Atlantic Ocean. With the runway being extended further into the Ocean, this has only led to further exposure from Atlantic winds.
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington DC
It requires pilots to make a winding visual approach to avoid high profile buildings including The Pentagon and The White House. This serves for low and weaving turns close to the ground below. Similarly, when planes depart Reagan Airport they tend to make an immediate sharp turn just seconds after departure to avoid the Washington Monument and White House.
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Paro Airport, Bhutan
Fewer than 20 pilots are actually qualified to fly into Bhutan’s only airport. The sharp banking on the approach through the Himalaya mountains feels as though the wing-tip is close to touching the mountaintops.
