Airports are used for landing and taking off aircraft. It is also known as an air terminal/an aerodrome/or an airfield. Airports have highly paved runways and maintenance facilities serving as a terminal for loading and unloading cargo & passengers.
Some of the airports in the world are often considered controversial because of their location and runway lengths. Nonetheless, they are often beautiful and mesmerizing and at the same time considered highly dangerous due to their geographical locations.
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MADEIRA AIRPORT, PORTUGAL
Madeira Airport is also known as Cristiano Ronaldo Airport has a runway of 2781m. It is an international airport located in the regional capital, Funchal. Has a relatively short runway because it is surrounded by an ocean on the south and mountains on the north. The airport has a single terminal which is mostly underground. It mostly caters to flights to European metropolitan destinations due to Madeira’s importance as a leisure destination.
LUKLA AIRPORT
Also known as the Tenzing Hillary Airport, is a domestic airport and altiport in Lukla, Nepal. It Is a popular airport serving as the starting point for treks to the Mount Everest Base Camp. The airport is surrounded by a chain-link fence and for security, it is patrolled by the Nepali armed police or civil police round the clock. Due to the mountainous terrain, there are no go-around procedures at the airport. This means that once a pilot has commenced an approach, they are committed to land.
There are no navigation systems at the airport. There is only a single runway for the arrival and departure of aircraft. This airport is considered to be the most dangerous airport in the world!
PRINCESS JULIANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Princess Juliana International Airport is located on the Ditch side of the island of Sint Marteen. The airport is a hub and a major gateway for the smaller islands around it. It has a very low-altitude flyover landing approach because of one end of its proximity to the shore and Maho Beach. Due to this, it has become one of the world’s most favorite places to spot airplanes despite the dangers. The airport has a 4 story terminal building to accommodate the growing international traffic & local traffic of private craft.
GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL/NORTH FRONT AIRPORT
Gibraltar International Airport is the civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It is one of the few Class A airports in the world. Winston Churchill Avenue, which is one of the busiest streets, intersects the airport runway, so it has to be closed every time a plane lands or departs. This makes it the scariest airport in the world.
PARO AIRPORT, BHUTAN
Paro International Airport in Bhutan is situated in a deep valley on the bank of the river Paro Chhu. It is surrounded by high peaks and is considered one of the most challenging airports in the world as very few pilots are certified to land in this airport. The flights are restricted to only daylight hours, from sunrise to sunset. The airport has a single 1,964 m Asphalt runway and there is only one terminal building.
BARRA AIRPORT, SCOTLAND
Barra Airport is a short runway in the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mor at the northern tip of the island of Barra, Scotland. It is one of the unique airports in the world where scheduled flights use the tidal beach as a runway. The airport’s only destination is Glasgow.
COURCHEVEL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Courchevel antiport serves Courchevel ski resorts in the French Alps. It is surrounded by mountainous terrain and has a short runway of 537M with a difficult approach for an upward sloping runway and ski runs in the adjacent area. It ranks 7th most extreme airports in the world.
RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT
Also known as Washington National, is situated in Arlington, Virginia, next to the border of Washington D.C. Planes are required to take unusually complicated paths to avoid restricted & prohibited airspace above sensitive landmarks, government buildings, and military installations in and around Washington, D.C., and to comply with some of the tightest noise restrictions in the country.
NARSARSUAQ AIRPORT,GREENLAND
Located in Narsarsuaq, a settlement in Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The airport serves as a transfer point for passengers heading for the helicopter hubs of Air Greenland in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. This airport is not only dangerous but is also a historical sight. The runway is a tidal beach which means the rising tides and severe weather conditions can seriously cause trouble for a pilot, The runway is only 1830m long.
MATEKANE AIR STRIP, LESOTHO
It is a highly elevated airstrip serving Metkane, Lesotho. It has a runway that extends to the edge of a 500m cliff. It is one of the scariest runways and is often used by charity organizations and medics to access remote villages.
