Top 10+ Scariest Airports in the World

In terms of traveling long distances, flying on an airplane is one of the fastest, safest, and
easiest ways to get to your destination. Unfortunately, not every runway has long, flat
stretches.

This means that pilots have to be particularly skilled to land on a runway carved on a
mountain or one that appears in a narrow valley. Bearing that in mind, here are 10+ of the
scariest or most difficult airports in the world to land at.

Saba Airport is a hazardous airport to approach

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, otherwise known as Saba Airport, is one of the world's scariest
airports. Located on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba, it lies about 27 miles (45
kilometers) south of St. Maarten.
Its runway is a pitiful 1300 feet (400 meters) long one, making it one of the shortest
commercial airports in the world. This tiny runway length means only the very best pilots
have what it takes to safely land and take off from it.

But its short runway is not the only hazard would-be approaching pilots need to be aware of.
The airport is surrounded by jagged terrain and a sharp left bank immediately before landing.

It might be safer to take the ferry or swim if you want to visit this place.

Congonhas Airport has a very short runway

Congonhas International Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, is not only scary, it is also one of the
world's most dangerous airports. Another airport with a short runway, it is also located in a
heavily-built-up portion of the enormous city, it feels as if you're scraping the tops of high rise
buildings as you land here.
One of four airports serving the city, it has become famed for its risky runways that are often
accused of being the slipperiest in the world, because its runway had not been constructed
with proper grooves to drain away excess rainwater, leading to a build-up of standing water at
times. This has resulted in a large number of fatal crashes.

In fact, over the years there have been some very serious accidents at the airport. One notable
example occurred in 2007 when TAM Airlines Airbus A320 overran runway 35L during
moderate rain. The plane crashed into a nearby warehouse, killing all 187 people on board
and 12 civilians on the ground.

You might want to avoid traveling to Telluride Regional Airport

Telluride Regional Airport is located in southwest Colorado and is widely considered one of
the scariest in the world. Around 5 miles (8 km) west of the town of Telluride, it is one of the
highest airports by elevation in America, at 9,070 feet (2.76 km).
It was built in the 1980s and boasted over 9,400 operations a year, at least before the
current COVID-19 crisis. While actually quite safe in reality, the approach to it can seem
quite hair-raising, to say the least.

Located on a small plateau, it features 1,000-foot (300 mt) sheer cliffs at both ends of the
runway, and pilots need to overcome strong vertical turbulence from the mountain winds
during winter months. Not only that, but each end of the runway is actually slightly higher
than the middle, creating a dip, although this was reduced during a 2009 renovation.

Many passengers who've taken the trip will confirm that it's quite the white-knuckle ride.

Svalbard Airport is actually built on permafrost

Built on permafrost, Svalbard airport not only seems scary, but it is also an engineering
marvel in its own right. Located in Norway's Arctic archipelago, the 8,000-foot (2438 mt)
runway is built directly on ice. Culverts under the runways allow water to run from the
mountain. There are also no runway lights, so flights are only permitted during daylight. This
may not seem like a big issue, until you realize that in the winter the sun does not really rise
here.
The airport was built on permafrost with the runway insulated against the ground so it will not
melt during the summer.

While its safety record is excellent, its location as one of the world's northernmost airports can
make flights to it very challenging for pilots. Inclement weather and the proximity to the
Earth's magnetic north pole can create visibility and navigational difficulties for even the best
pilots.

For these reasons, one of Norway's worst air accidents occurred at this airport in 1996. A
Russian flight bound for Longyearbyen crashed into a mountain after being about 3.2 km (2
miles) off its approach centerline, killing all 141 passengers on board.
Crash investigations later concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash.

Landing at Madeira Airport in Portugal is a white knuckle ride

Madeira Airport is one of the few in the world where engineers built a platform in order to
expand the runway. The landing strip sits between steep cliffs and the shores of the ocean.
To expand the runway, engineers built a series of platforms on an artificial island. The runway
is held up by more than 180 columns, which have to withstand the shock of landings.

Only a limited amount of pilots are qualified to land on this airport. Pilots must navigate their
approach by spotting landmarks and cannot land by instrument alone. To make it more
difficult, there are strong winds, high mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.

The approach direction to Princess Juliana International Airport in

St. Maarten is actually over a beach
Like some other runways in the Caribbean Sea, Princess Juliana Airport, located in Saint
Maarten, is perhaps the most famous on the list. This is partly because of the public beach
situated just before the runway.
Planes must approach over the water at an extremely low altitude. This often results in
large and loud gusts of wind and sand engulfing those enjoying the crystal blue water down
below. For the pilots, however, bothering visitors is not the only worry.

The runway is only around 1.36 miles (2.2 km) long, which is very short considering many of
the large aircrafts that land here generally require more than 2,500 meters to ensure a safe
landing. Princess Juliana was initially built for smaller planes, but the booming tourist
industry has brought A340s and 747s into the regular traffic rotation.

Wellington International Airport is built in the mountains

Located in New Zealand, Wellington International Airport is yet another of the world's most
difficult airports to land at. Featuring a 6,350 feet (1935 meters) long runway, both ends
appear to start and end in water.
Approaching it is also very tricky for pilots, as the airport is located in a mountainous area of
the country which is famed for its gusty winds, which make maneuvering for landings even
more tricky. Even after landing, passengers can be swept off their feet by the strong gusts.
Despite this, there have been very few safety incidents.
Other than that, in the past, the airport had been recognized as having one of the best
terminals in the world. Despite this, it is constantly ranked among the scariest places to land
anywhere in the world.

Only a handful of pilots can land at Paro Airport

Tucked away in the Himalayas, Paro Airport is famous for being one of the world's most
difficult to land at. In fact, only a handful of pilots are qualified to do so.
Located in Bhutan, the airport lies about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) above sea level. Sounds pleasant
enough, but be mindful that the airport is surrounded by sharp peaks, up to 18,000 feet (5,500
meters) tall.

Its runway is 6,500 feet (1,980 m) long and only allows for arrivals and departures during the
daytime. Most difficult part is that pilots cannot see the runway at all until the last minute as
they must maneuver between mountains at a 45-degree angle before finally dropping quickly
onto the runway. At one point during the approach, planes must come extremely close to
mountain top homes, and one red cliffside home even serves as a key marker for pilots.

McMurdo Air Station in Antarctica can get pretty icy

Not many people travel to Antarctica, which means that the airport infrastructure there is
significantly lacking. This runway isn't particularly short, but it is built on "white ice"
(compacted snow), which can make for a difficult landing, even in good weather conditions.
In 1970, a C-121 slid off the runway and still sits off to its side, buried in snow.
During the winter, the area is dark 24 hours a day. The airport has no lights on the runway,
and during the non-infrequent whiteouts, pilots must land blind, using night vision equipment.

Gibraltar International Airport has a street running through it

Gibraltar International Airport is probably the most unusual airport in southern Europe. While
the runway isn't particularly hard to land at, an interesting design feature makes it potentially
dangerous.
The city's main street, Winston Churchill Avenue, intersects with the runway and has to be
closed when a plane needs to land. There is a stoplight on the road telling cars to stop, but
there have been a number of close calls in the airport's history. The short runway also ends
abruptly at the sea on both ends, forcing pilots to stop very quickly immediately after landing.