The most dangerous airports in the world. Rating of the most dangerous and extreme airports in the world The highest mountain airport in the world
India's 100th airport opens Himalayas, in the northeastern state of Sikkim. Due to the most difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions, the runway alone took 9 years to build. But the result met all expectations - the airport is already called the most beautiful and picturesque in the world.
Sikkim is a former kingdom in the Himalayas, connected by eight high mountain passes to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. Now Sikkim is an Indian state that has never had an airport. But the authorities decided that it was time to correct the situation.
The airport was built on a mountainside in Pakyong County, 30 kilometers from the state capital Gangtok. The construction was so complex that it is already being called an engineering marvel.
By the way, Mount Kanchenjunga is located in Sikkim, which occupies the third line in the ranking of the highest peaks in the world. And because of the extremely difficult landscape, there is no rail link in the state.
If we talk about roads, they often suffer from landslides and floods, and there are no roads at all north of the Miang region.
The airport is built on top of a hill 1371 meters above sea level, 60 kilometers from the border with China. From all sides the structure is surrounded by mountain valleys.
As for the runway, its length is only 1.75 kilometers, but it still took 9 years to build.
In addition to the weather and landscape, construction was further complicated by the fact that engineering equipment had to be delivered through narrow mountain roads. Also, Sikkim is characterized by high seismicity, and from April to September there is a rainy season.
The land for the airport was literally cut out of the mountain - special geotechnical engineering installations were used. Specialists also built a supporting wall 80 meters high to protect the airport building - this is one of the highest such structures in the world.
The airport terminal can serve about 100 passengers at the same time, the building is also equipped with parking for 50 cars.
The airport will start operations on October 4, which is expected to increase the number of tourists visiting Sikkim. Moreover, this Indian state can boast of the real beauties of the Himalayas: picturesque mountain peaks, ancient monasteries, alpine lakes and glaciers.
The highest airport in the world is Daocheng Yading, located in Sichuan province. It is built at an altitude of 4411 meters above sea level. Prior to this, the title of champion belonged to Kuamdo Bamdo, built in Tibet. The latter is lower than the current record holder by 77 meters.
Surprisingly, the highest airport was built in just two years. Its construction cost $255,000,000. Currently, Air China planes fly exclusively to Chengdu, the provincial capital where Daocheng Yading is located. Nevertheless, it can be called a major breakthrough for the local Chinese. It used to take people two days to get to Chengdu. Today, 800 kilometers are overcome in 65 minutes. Chengdu Daochen Yadin flights operate daily, and the cost of the flight is only 1,600 yuan, which ranges from 262 dollars.
The highest airport is located 159 kilometers from the world-famous attraction. Jaazhin Reserve, also called Shangri-La, is the unofficial "last clean place on Earth." The local landscapes are striking in their beauty. It can be assumed that after the construction of the airport, the flow of curious tourists will increase here. This forecast is also obvious because in the near future flights from Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Shanghai will be sent here. According to experts, the flow of passengers to the region will be increased to half a million people.
According to most pilots, takeoff and landing are the most dangerous moments in a flight. However, some conditions are more risky than others, yet no amount of mountain peaks, cliff sides, crowded beaches and main roads seem to stop the brave pilots on this list who work in these conditions every day.
In this list, we will describe the most extreme and dangerous airports from around the world. So, fasten your seat belts:
10. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport
Saba Island
Getting to this amazingly beautiful Caribbean island is not easy, and all because of the runway, which is only 396 meters long - which is quite a bit longer than most runways on aircraft carriers. The impossibly short airstrip is surrounded by high cliffs and dangerously close to a steep slope that leads straight into the ocean.
For these reasons, this airport is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. A pilot's misjudgment during takeoff can send the plane straight into the abyss. Large planes avoid this airport for obvious reasons, but even for very small planes like the Cessna, landing is a difficult task, especially in bad weather. Well, at least everyone knows what is to blame for the constant decline in tourism on the island.
9. Chandu Banda Airport (Qamdo Bamda Airport)
Tibet
Chandu Banda Airport is the highest airport in the world, at over 4,330 meters above sea level. In addition to the height of the location of this airport, it also impresses with an almost 5.5-kilometer runway.
A runway sixty football fields long may seem like overkill, but obviously the length of the runway is critical to making safe landings at high altitudes. When an aircraft starts descending into an area at sea level at 241 kilometers per hour, it needs a runway at least 1,524 meters long to come to a complete stop. But when it lands on terrain more than 4,330 meters above sea level, the length of the runway needed to bring it to a complete stop must be twice as long.
Traveling at high altitudes can actually be extremely dangerous and travelers should be aware of the danger before they even fly to such places.
8. Gustaf III Airport
Saint Barthélemy
The small airport Gustav III, on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy, exposes both pilots and passengers to quite serious dangers. The runway on which the runway was built is incredibly narrow, and planes approach landing frighteningly close to the hillsides of the surrounding area, putting the plane at risk of crashing into the ocean every time they land.
This YouTube video is a great illustration of what you have to go through if something goes wrong on landing. It is good that at least in this case no one received even minor injuries.
7 Ice Runway
Antarctica
The dangers of the Ice Runway have more to do with the extreme weather that the pilot has to contend with than with the layout or location of the airport itself. The ice airstrip is one of the three largest airstrips used to transport scientists and supplies to McMurdo Station in Antarctica. As its name suggests, there are no tarmac roads here - just long stretches of carefully cleared ice and snow.
There is no shortage of space on the Ice Runway, so even a huge aircraft can land relatively easily here. The difficulty lies in landing the plane so that its weight, combined with the weight of its cargo, does not break through the ice and so that the plane does not get stuck in soft snow. As soon as the ice on this runway begins to break, planes are diverted to Pegasus Field and Williams Field, two other runways serving the station.
6. Courchevel Airport
France
The city of Courchevel in the French Alps is one of the most famous ski resorts in Europe, but the city seems to owe much of its fame to its mountainous airport. Courchevel Airport is famous not only for its incredibly high and strange location, but also for its role in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies, in which Mr. Bond successfully landed a plane at a highly dangerous airport.
5. Barra International Airport
Scotland
This is quite possibly the only airport in the world that also serves as a beach. Takeoffs and landings at Barra Airport take place on the same sand that people walk on after hours for the airport. And that's not all: at high tide in the evening, the headlights of all passing cars help the pilot to land the plane. For those who just want to enjoy a romantic stroll along the beach, there are warning signs informing people of all upcoming aircraft landings.
Believe it or not, Barra is still an officially recognized international airport by the Air Traffic Organization, and it seems that any logical or rational proposals are not taken into account by the authorities. We can only hope that they are better informed than we are about all the intricacies of this airport location!
4. Toncontin International Airport
Honduras
In Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, you can land at one of the most dangerous and infamous airports in the world. It has been the subject of several accidents, including a plane crash in 2008 that killed five passengers. This airport was opened back in 1934, when the planes were less powerful and did not need such long runways.
The Tonkotin airstrip is a little over 2133 meters long and is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. And what is even more incredible - at the moment the danger of this airport is that it has only one runway and one runway for aircraft, which greatly increases the risk of accidents. Despite all these high-risk factors, large aircraft such as the Boeing 757 land at this airport on a daily basis.
3. Tenzing-Hillary Airport
Nepal
The airport was originally called Lukla Airport, but was later renamed Tenzing and Hillary Airport to commemorate the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Located in the city of Lukla, Nepal, the airport serves thousands of rock climbers hoping to "conquer" Everest, as well as amateur climbers looking to explore the Everest region.
Among the dangers of this airport, you can list strong winds and heavy clouds - but these are not the worst factors at all. As with Gustav III Airport, one end of the runway at Tenzing and Hillary Airport ends in high terrain, only instead of a beautiful sandy beach at the other end, you will experience a drop of 609 meters.
There have already been several accidents at this airport, and the last one happened on October 12, 2010.
2. Madeira International Airport
Portugal
When Madeira International Airport was first opened in 1964, the length of each of its two main runways did not exceed 1600 meters.
After a horrific accident in 1977, during which a Boeing 727 on its way to land crashed on a stone bridge and ended up on the beach, one of the runways was extended by 200 meters. In the early 2000s, the runway was extended even further, and now runs across the beach, supported by columns.
Even with the extended runway, the most casual landing is still not easy even for the most experienced pilots. Against all their instincts, and in order to set the aircraft on the correct landing course, pilots must first steer the aircraft towards the vague outline of a mountaintop, and then swerve quickly to the left to avoid hitting the mountain.
1. Gibraltar Airport
Gibraltar
Gibraltar Airport is not only one of the most dangerous airports in the world, but also one of the busiest (especially when compared to the other dangerous airports included in this list). No matter how incredible it may sound, the route of this airport actually passes through the main street of the city.
Vehicles are forced to stop every time the plane lands or takes off. Even more surprising is that there has never been a single major accident here - and we hope that there will not be any.
Many people are afraid to fly, but, according to many pilots, it is dangerous, and not the flight itself is terrible, but the takeoff and landing of the aircraft. According to statistics we all love, every 6 people on the planet experience exciting sensations during a flight or while waiting for a flight.
But there are those who are happy to go on a trip, and even better if it is filled with extreme sports and adrenaline. In order to secure the former and please the latter, we have prepared list of the most dangerous airports in the world, and it is not surprising that almost all of them are in exotic and distant countries. So go ahead for a suitcase and new exciting experiences!
1. Saba Island. AirportJuanchoE.Yrausquin. This airport is equipped with a runway - 400 meters, which is the smallest in the world. On the one hand, the strip rests against the mountains, and on the other hand, it ends with a cliff over the Caribbean Sea. According to official data, this airport is closed, but there are exceptions (they are made by the aviation of the Netherlands).
2. Tibet, Chamdo district. AirportQamdoBamda. It is located at an altitude of 4334 meters above sea level and is the highest airport in the world. Due to the thinness of the air (which affects the engines), the runway is one of the longest at 5,500 meters.
3. Antarctica. AirportIcerunway. It is generally difficult to call it an airport, most of all it looks like a large well-groomed piece of ice. However, many planes (mostly cargo planes) regularly take off and land, each time overcoming snow and cold.
4. Gibraltar. AirportGibraltar. It can rightfully be called an engineering nightmare, as roads pass through the runway, and the airport itself is located just 500 meters from the city center.
5. Portugal. AirportMadeira. The airport is located literally at the junction of mountains and the sea, and the runway is more like a bridge. In order to lengthen it, 180 columns had to be installed, the height of which was about 60 meters.
6.Sep-Marten. AirportPrincess Juliana. Even during the Second World War, an airfield was built here, today it is the largest international airport in the Caribbean region.
The danger of the runway is that it is located close to the beach. Planes run regularly and fly just 15 meters above the heads of vacationers.
7.France. AirportCourchevel. The most popular resort in the world could not do without an airport, so they found a way out, built one of the most dangerous in the world. The runway stretches for only 525 meters, and even be under a slope of 18.5 degrees. Moreover, the functionality of the airport is limited during fog.
8.Butane. Airportparo. This international airport is located at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters above sea level, and its surroundings are peaks of 5,000 and above. Accordingly, one can imagine how professional a pilot must be, who decided on one of the most difficult takeoffs / landings. By the way, there are only 8 such pilots in the world (who are considered quite qualified).
9.Svalbard (Svalbard, Grumant). AirportSvalbard.It is located on the territory of the polar archipelago and is the northernmost civil airport in the world, it is also the largest structure in the archipelago. Its closest neighbor is Mount Platoberge. The airport has the status of an international one, since it makes direct flights not only to Oslo, Ny-Ålesund and Seva, but also to Barentsburg.
10. Honduras. AirportToncontin. In fact, it is possible not to use this airport, but this is Honduras. Its danger lies not only in its geographical position, but also in the fact that it is surrounded by mountains, and also equipped with a runway that is too short, from which planes can slip easily enough.
In fact, this is not the whole list of the most dangerous airports in the world, most are located in very small and inconspicuous towns and look so terrifying that this is a completely different topic, for example, “which airports should never be visited by anyone.” It's amazing how often human ingenuity works against the person himself.
In fact, all takeoffs and landings at these airports are professional pilots with a lot of experience, but this does not mean at all that everything depends on them.
Airports are already dangerous, and if the weather conditions are unfavorable, and you decide on such a flight, it’s better to stay in one of these beautiful places and enjoy the local beauty for another day or two, thereby saving your life and getting additional positive emotions.
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