For many people, the experience of flying on an aeroplane alone, especially when it’s for the first time, is something that would make them have their hearts in their mouths. However, it gets even scarier when you realize that you have to land in a place that speaks volumes of fear.
Here are five of these scariest runways across the world:
1. Ice Runway, Antarctica
Many people love snow but the moment you see this runway, you’d be forgiven for having second thoughts. The Ice runway is the biggest runway in Antarctica but the elevation is only 1 foot above sea level which is very low. At the same time the length of the runway is 10,000 ft but what makes this even more dangerous is that there are no lines drawn on the runway as it is completely white, making it harder for pilots to land. Even though it is made completely of ice, it’s actually capable of handling the heaviest aircraft in the US Air force.
2. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba, Netherlands Antilles
On the Caribbean Island of Saba the Juancho Airport is their only airport. It is considered as the world’s shortest airport with a runway length of just 396 meters. Normally an aircraft needs a nice long length runway to land safely but this airport is considered very dangerous due to its short length. Widebody aircraft cannot land on this runway, it is only suitable for medium weight and lightweight aircraft. Both ends of the runways are cliffs that drop into the sea! Its elevation is 60ft Above mean sea level.
3. Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan
Another very interesting and dangerous airport is the Kansai International which is located on an artificial Island in Osaka Japan. This Airport has an elevation of 5m and a total length of 3500m of the first runway and 4000m of the second runway. It is considered so dangerous because it leaves pilot little room for error – If a pilot fails to stop in time he and his aircraft can end up on the water!
4. Madeira International Airport, Madeira, Portugal
Located at an elevation of 190 feet with a length of 9124 feet, this dangerous airport is more like a bridge. Its construction makes it look like a bridge as for the required elevation from sea level the runway could not be made on flat ground. Many experienced pilots with high flying hours believe that this is one of the toughest and trickiest runways to land on.
5. Lukla Airport, Nepal
A small airport in the town of Lukla which at an elevation of 9,100 ft from sea level has a runway length of just 460 meters. What makes this runway really dangerous is the short length and the strong gushes of wind that blow from the nearby Himalayas, which make it extremely difficult to land straight and break before the runway ends.
