Check Out The Most Dangerous Airports In The World

While it probably won’t be much comfort to you if you have a deep-seated fear of flying, taking a ride in a commercial aircraft is still far and away safer than climbing into the passenger or back seat of a car on the road. Most flights go off without a hitch, and if there is a major accident, you’re likely to hear about it on the news.

If your final destination is Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, in Nepal, you’re probably the ultimate thrill-seeker—Likla is the closest airport to Mount Everest—so If you’re flying out for a climbing holiday, this one probably won’t bother you.

Most people in this area tend to fly out via LAX, but those who do frequent San Diego International Airport may (or may not) be aware of how dangerous it is for pilots. The area is surrounded by mountains, and a strong wind blows in from the west.

You need to have nerves of steel and good eyesight to land safely on this spit of land. The landing strip at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on Saba Island is said to be the shortest in the world. Not only that, but it’s perched right on the edge of the Dutch Caribbean waters.

It’s known as the “airport in the sky,” and it might be the most dangerous airport in the world. While it does seem high up just by looking at this picture, you wouldn’t be able to tell how dangerous it was at a glance. For one, this strip is far higher up than it looks.

Whether you’re up against the difficult weather at your back or down against the ice-covered landing strip, only seasoned pilots should attempt a drop-in at this Greenlandic airport. And even then, it can be a white-knuckle ride all the way to the end.

Telluride is the highest point in the country you’re going to go—at least while your feet are touching the ground. Being so high up comes with the downside that you could be blown off by strong winds, which are frequent up there, especially in colder months.

Pilots really need to time their arrivals at Gisborne Airport, New Zealand, very carefully. Any misaligned landing here would be a train wreck—literally. That’s because a train track cuts right through one of the landing strips. Can you imagine how awkward it would be making a landing while a train rolled in?

Remember when you were a kid, and you landed your toy planes on top of the kitchen table? Landing a plane here would be a bit like that. This airport is situated on a flattened mountain top. As you can see, it’s a sheer drop off the edge of the strip—on both sides.

It’s a destination that you’re unlikely to visit, but it happens to be the only one on the entire continent. As you can see, it’s sparsely lit—but even worse is the fact that this runway is entirely made of ice—no tarmac in sight.

There are no death-defying drops to look out for at this airport, but there are certain nearby geological structures that make landing here a difficult affair—namely the Whitehouse, the Pentagon, and the CIA headquarters—each having very strict no-fly zones.

Any pilots landing at Paro Airport in Bhutan might be advised to make “45-degree turns” in order to arrive at their destination. That’s because there’s only so much space between the mountain ranges by the landing strips.

One of the world’s most famous airports happens to be one of the most dangerous for pilots to drop in or out of—at any time of day. Passengers get a nice view of New York City’s skylines, but it can be a little too close for some pilots.

It’s highly doubtful you’ll ever end up having to stop by this airstrip. It’s 30 miles out from Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, and it’s generally only used in case of emergencies such as medical drop-ins. As you can see, it has quite the view.

Good luck if you’ve grown up in Papua New Guinea and you want to be a pilot—you might be asked to perform some of your first takeoffs on one of their many mountain airstrips, such as the Megum Airstrip. You’d be right if you think it looks like a perilous take-off location—you’d be absolutely right.

An airport on an artificial island off the coast of Japan? What could possibly go wrong? Apart from the potential destruction wreaked by cyclones, earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, and an unstable sea floor—there’s no problem!

The Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is on an island in the Dutch Caribbean of Saba. The runway is only 400 meters in length. If you can imagine, that is less than 8 football fields long, which is not very much space for a plane to gain speed.

The Madeira Airport was actually renamed to the Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in 2017. Portugal loves its soccer! The runway was built using pillars that would make anyone question its safety. Just looking at the runways, you wouldn’t feel comfortable landing a place on it.

The Barra International Airport in Scotland is the only airport in the world that uses a beach as its runway. While this provides a beautiful takeoff and landing, it is not the safest place to land a plane.

The Princess Juliana International Airport in Saint Martin is widely known for having planes fly all too close to the ground. Planes will hover over beaches and roads only a few feet off the ground. This is way too close for comfort!

The Gibraltar Airport is a civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory and has a pretty special feature that makes it one of the most dangerous airports in the world. It happens to pass through the busiest road on the entire island.

Any airport surrounded by water is sure to make this list of most dangerous airports. The Wellington Airport in New Zealand is no exception. The short runway is surrounded by water bodies on either side.

Another example of a runway that is far too small for normal commercial planes is this airport in Saint Barthélemy. Short runways are one of the most dangerous features of an airport. This airport is only meant for planes that carry a maximum of 20 passengers.

The Courchevel Airport in France was made for the wealthy to fly into the Alps to ski. But just looking at this runway makes us want to steer clear. Is skiing worth risking your life?

The Congonhas Airport is the second busiest airport in Brazil, making it a good contender for one of the most dangerous ones in the world. If that weren’t enough, the runway is also very slippery.

Norway is also home to one of the most dangerous airports in the world. The runway is built directly on ice. I don’t know about you but that is not what I’d like to land a plane on.

St. Helena is a remote British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic. When construction finished in 2015 they realized that wind made it too turbulent to land flights. The ocean cliffs made wind much harsher than they had anticipated.

This international airport is the site of several plane crashes. It’s surrounded by mountains and requires pilots to make a 45-degree turn only minutes before they touchdown. If they overshoot the short runway, it can be fatal.

Aspen is known for being one of the most popular ski towns in the world. But the airport that lives at this 7,800 foot elevation is very dangerous. The constantly changing wind conditions, low visibility, and mountains make it a difficult airport to land in.

This runway in India is certainly beautiful. Surrounded by blue-green water, it looks like a lovely vacation destination. But the airport is one of the most dangerous in the world. It serves 36 local tourist islands.

Kai Tak used to be the international airport of Hong Kong before the Hong Kong International Airport took over. It’s known for being a terrifying airport for the strong and blistering crosswinds.

The Don Mueang International Airport is not the only airport in Bangkok, but it is the more dangerous of the two. It used to be named the Bangkok International Airport, but the name has since changed.

This airport is located on a volcanic island in the South China Sea. Flying directly into a volcano is no easy feat. Pilots that fly into this airport have to fly directly towards the mountains and make a fast 90-degree turn.

The Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport is almost completely surrounded by water. One misstep means landing in the freezing ocean instead of on the landing strip. This leaves very little room for error.

Queenstown Airport earns its name as a dangerous airport for the short runway and difficult wind conditions. In addition, it is not up to industry standard in terms of safety codes. It is well known for its poor safety rating.

The Telluride Regional Airport is in southwest Colorado. It’s one of the highest airports based on elevation. It stands at a 9,070 feet elevation. The airport itself is actually perfectly safe but the approach to the airport can be tricky.

The airports in Antarctica are lacking in safety and resources because there aren’t very many people that fly in and out. The runway actually isn’t too short, which is the case in many other dangerous airports.

This airport is a U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Japan. The airstrip happens to be right smack dab in the middle of a crowded city. Additionally, it’s an incredibly busy airport. In 2003, the Navy actually recommended that the airport be shut down.

When you first look at this location, you might not immediately think of an airport. As the name suggests, it is more of a field. And it happens to be covered in ice as well.

This Chicago Airport is known for bad weather and short runways. Most pilots know the difficulty of getting in and out of this strip. There is typically a lot of ground traffic when preparing to leave or arrive.