We’ve all watched videos of aircraft landing in extreme places – unforgiving approaches, tiny runways, extreme weather conditions. It’s fun to sit at home and wonder what it would be like to experience that yourself.
Well you can, because I’ve been compiling a list of the most extreme airports you can fly to today. Yes it might take a bit of time, it will certainly take a lot of effort and money, but if you love aviation and want some killer Instagram content to share here are some of the most extreme airports you can fly to right now.
The most dangerous airport in the world
Lukla in the Himalayas has what I feel is an unfair reputation of being the most dangerous airport in the world to fly in to. In reality whilst it may be set in dramatic surrounds with a sloping runway with a steep drop off at the end, it still gets around 20-30 issue-free aircraft movements per day during peak climbing season and hasn’t had a serious incident since 2012.
However the lower air density associated with its high elevation (2,860 metres / 9,383 ft) and the short runway length of just under 550 metres / 1800 feet does make it a challenging approach which is why special training for pilots is required before being cleared to land at Lukla. Additionally many flights, especially in the afternoons, are cancelled due to poor visibility.
Regardless of whether you’re planning to summit Everest, walk to base camp, visit the Khumbu Glacier or just take a joyflight to Lukla and back it would definitely be an experience to land at this notorious airport. Regular flights depart Kathmandu and take 30 to 35 minutes to get to Lukla, and you can book scenic round-trip flights for the experience of landing there, you don’t have to climb Everest.
The shortest commercial runway in the world
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the island of Saba in the Caribbean has the honour of having the shortest runway of any commercial airport in the world.
Measuring a length of just 400 metres / 1,312 feet, Saba’s runway has a drop off to the water at both ends and can only be accessed by a few short take-off and landing (STOL) enabled aircraft like the Twin Otter or BN-2 Islander.
You can fly to Saba but you have to get to the neighbouring Saint Martin airport first. From there it’s a 12-minute flight with a company such as Windward Island Airways to get to Saba. Make sure you plan your return though, there are no lights on Saba so no flights after dark.
The best planespotting spot in the world
Most aviation lovers have at some point pressed their face against an airport fence to catch a closer look at commercial aircraft taking off or landing. Whether you’re a planespotter recording every movement or just an avgeek who enjoys watching planes, there are very few airports where you can do just that whilst paddling in the Caribbean Sea.
Princess Juliana International Airport, also known as Sint Maarten Airport, is on the southern Dutch side of Saint Martin island. The threshold of runway 10 is separated from the water by a thin strip of sand called Maho Beach, and it’s from here where most of us have seen YouTube videos of large commercial aircraft, anything up to a Boeing 747, passing overhead sunbathers a few seconds before touching down.
Sadly the much loved KLM Boeing 747 no longer flies to the island but you can get a direct flight to Saint Martin from Amsterdam with KLM which is now operated by an Airbus A330.
The airport with a massive hill in the way
Also in the Caribbean is the challenging Gustaf III Airport also known as Saint Barthélemy Airport. This airport also has a relatively short runway, just 646 metres / 2,119 feet in length, but it’s the approach to runway 10 which makes this most interesting.
The approach takes pilots over a steep hill leading down to the threshold of runway 10. On top of this hill is a public road which used to run directly under the flight path of aircraft making for some nerve-wracking moments when cars and low flying aircraft were trying to occupy the same point in space and time.
In the early 2000s the approach was altered slightly with the hill lowered and the road moved off the main approach path. Road traffic no longer dives directly underneath landing aircraft now but the approach still remains incredibly challenging and has seen aircraft landing with too much energy and ending up nose first into the beach at the end.
As with Saba Airport, to get to Saint Barthélemy you’ll need to get to Saint Martin first and catch a 10 minute flight operated by Winair or St Barth Commuter to visit the island.
The most Northerly commercial airport
Keflavík Airport in Iceland is sometimes thought of being the most Northerly commercial airport that regular passenger aircraft can visit. But it’s not, by a long way. This accolade in fact belongs to Svalbard Airport deep within the Arctic Circle off the Northernmost tip of Norway.
At an incredible 78º North (Keflavík Airport is 63.9ºN) Svalbard Airport was built during World War 2 and now serves passengers on daily flights from Tromsø and Oslo in Norway.
Not only would you be able to say you’ve landed at the world’s most Northerly commercial airport if you land here, but Svalbard is also home to the fascinating Global Seed Vault, just a few miles from the airport, and if you don’t know about this place I could write a whole article on it but to save time check out the Global Seed Vault website here.
To get to Svalbard first make your way to Oslo or Tromsø in Norway and catch a commercial flight operated by Norwegian or SAS.
The airport that literally blows you away
Portugal is famous for custard tarts, Christiano Ronaldo, and an airport which is notorious for very windy turbulent approaches. Named after their much loved international export (Ronaldo, not the custard tarts), Madeira Airport which is actually closer to mainland Africa than it is to Portugal itself, serves the popular tourist island of Madeira.
Built on the South Eastern corner of the island the surrounding terrain for the approach to runway 05 at this airport means no ILS or Instrument Approach is available. Pilots have to fly a visual downwind leg and visually execute a 180º turn to final. Add to this the fact the runway is elevated from the ground and that all makes for a tricky approach.
But as well as the manual flying pilots are also often susceptible to strong winds and the subsequent turbulence blowing off the surrounding hills. All of this combined with low approach speeds and a unique elevated runway construction make this a very tricky airport to land at, and one that requires additional training before pilots are permitted to land there.
A good one to try in your flight simulator, set yourself a 25 knot crosswind and see how you go. But if you want to go for real it’s actually a lot more accessible than some of the other airports in this list. Multiple airlines go from Lisbon in Portugal or other European destinations.
The airport that is basically a ski jump
When James Bond launched his L-39 Albatross off the end of Corchevel Airport in Tomorrow Never Dies he was probably too busy avoiding the exploding fuel barrels when he should have been enjoying one of the most unusual runway shapes in the world. Courchevel’s runway is short, at just 537 metres / 1,762 feet, but it’s the gradient that makes this so interesting with a whopping 18.6% change from one end to the other.
When landing, pilots need to judge their aim point so as not to float into the upslope potentially resulting in a very hard impact. Taking-off, pilots don’t have much time after sending their aircraft downhill to make an abort decision before gravity takes away any chance of stopping before the runway end. Add to this a potentially icy surface when the runway is being used during the ski season in Winter and that makes Courchevel a very challenging airport to land at.
Interestingly, Courchevel is also well known in the cycling world as it’s been used as the finish line of various stages of the Tour de France as cyclists suffer up the steep slope usually at the end of a several hundred kilometre climb through the mountains. Brutal.
If you don’t know any British Secret Agents nor have access to your own private jet, you can get to Courchevel by car from Geneva, it’s about a 2.5 hour drive.
So what would you add to this list, or have you experienced landing at any of these airports? I’d love to hear from you in the comments box below.