Although we all enjoy the opportunity to head off to the sun, for some, the prospect of actually getting there fills them with dread.
Taking to the skies is something that doesn’t appeal to everyone, meaning that even the smoothest flight is enough to invoke a feeling of absolute terror.
Now if that pretty much sums up how you feel about boarding a flight to the Costa del Sol, then you probably don’t want to read any further than this.
If you’re not overly concerned about flying though, have a sense of adventure, or just want to scare yourself silly, then the following list of six of the most dangerous airports we could find is something that you might find more interesting…
Lukla Airport – Nepal:
Located in Nepal, Lukla Airport has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous airports to be found anywhere in the world.
The gateway to Mount Everest for those who want to climb the highest peak on earth, the airport is located in the middle of the mountains at a height of more than 9,000ft and is only accessible by smaller aircraft due to the short nature of the runway – which is around the tenth of the length of a regular runway at an international airport.
There’s also no margin for error because of the surrounding mountains which means that when a pilot commits to landing, they have to get it right.
Courchevel Airport – France:
Courchevel Airport is almost the European equivalent of Lukla, and is located in the heart of the Alps.
The runway is just 525m in length and also sees planes forced to land uphill, with a gradient of more than 18% to contend with.
It means only small airplanes and helicopters are able to land, with the difficult approach and surrounding mountains meaning there is no go-around procedure in place – meaning pilots have to be sure they can land before committing to the move.
Paro Airport – Bhutan:
Spotting a theme yet? Paro Airport is an international airport located in a mountainous area in the Kingdom of Bhutan that is regarded as so dangerous that only a select number of pilots are even allowed to land there.
Surrounded by the peaks of the Himalayas, the airport provides pilots with a challenging approach through the mountains, with winds that whip through the valleys and create high levels of turbulence only adding to the issues that are faced simply to get a plane onto the ground.
Flights under darkness are banned, and only under conditions where pilots have clear visibility of their surroundings.
Princess Juliana Airport – St Maarten:
The main airport on the island of St Maarten is known for the low-altitude approach that sees aircraft swoop down across the beach as they come in to land.
It makes landings particularly difficult as pilots have to be extra careful when it comes to checking their altitude, with the risk that they could become disorientated over water before making the runway.
Take off is also tricky because of the need to avoid mountains that sit at the other end of the runway to the beach.
Toncontín International Airport – Honduras:
The main airport in Tegucigalpa is regarded as one of the most dangerous around because of the challenging approach that awaits planes coming in to land in the Honduran city.
Once again located in a mountainous region, pilots are forced to take a treacherous route into the airport that involves coming through the surrounding peaks and then dropping down sharply across the city to a short runway.
With gusts of wind adding to the challenge, it means pilots need to make the most of all their skills to get to land safely.
Saint Helena Airport – Saint Helena:
Built at huge expense on the island of Saint Helena, the main airport on the island has yet to officially open to commercial airlines over safety concerns.
The clifftop runway has proven to be problematic because of the risk of windshear that could destabilise a large aircraft and cause an accident.
‘Staggering errors’ are said to have been made when investigating the feasibility of the airport, which is currently unable to accept the very flights it was designed for.
And a little closer to home…
Barra Airport - UK:
In the grand scheme of things, it’s hard to imagine an airport in Scotland being classed as extreme, but then again, Barra is an airport like no other.
Located in the Outer Hebrides, Barra is unique because there is no actual runway on which planes can land. Instead, scheduled flights have to land on the local beach, which becomes a runway as and when required.
Flights are banned during the hours of darkness unless under emergency circumstances, whilst the fact that the runway is on a beach means that flights also have operate around the tides; tides that can impact the runway every time they come in and out.