Top 10 Most Dangerous Airports in the World 2020

Top 10 most dangerous airports in the world 2020

Number 10. WELLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NEW ZEALAND

Wellington International Airport (formerly known as Rongotai Airport) is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Serving over 6 million passengers a year, Wellington International Airport is the third busiest airport in the country, after Auckland and Christchurch. It features a single 6,827 ft runway that appears to start and end in the ocean.

Number 9. GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY.
Gibraltar International Airport or North Front Airport is the civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The airport handles over 500,000 passengers and over 300,000 kg of cargo on a 4888 total flights yearly.

Number 8. PRINCESS JULIANA AIRPORT, Saint MAARTEN.
The notorious Princess Juliana Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin is famous around the world for its low landings over the ocean, owing to one end of its single 7,546 ft long runway being extremely close to the shore. The proximity of Maho Beach to the runway has made the airport one of the world’s most favorite places for a perfect snapchat shot, as the landing jets appear to be just feet above the heads of the public just before touchdown while takeoff creates huge gusts of wind and sand for sunbathers.

Number 7. NARSARQUAG AIRPORT, GREENLAND
One of two airports in Greenland capable of serving large airliners, Narsarsuaq Airport is located in Tunulliarfik Fjord on the country’s southern tip. The airport was built in 1941 by the USA Ministry of Defense. Pilots must deal with strong wind, severe turbulence and wind shear in a mountainous landscape (even on the calmest days of the year) before they get sight of the relatively short 6,000 ft runway.

Number 6. TONCONTIN AIRPORT, HONDURAS
The approach to Toncontin Airport, located near the capital of Honduras, has long been considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world, especially in inclement weather condition. The mountainous terrain surrounding the small airport forces pilots to make a dramatic approach that’s anything but head on, with a steep decent and a sharp turn prior to lining up with the runway. It’s also one of the world’s deadliests airports. In 1989, a Boeing commercial plane crashed into a mountainside on approach, killing 132 people.

Number 5. MADEIRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, PORTUGAL
Madeira International Airport Cristiano Ronaldo, formerly known as Funchal Airport, on the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to its spectacular construction. The original runway was only 5,249 ft long, but was extended to 9,124 ft after a fatal plane crash in 1977 (164 people died when a Boeing 727 fell off the end of the runway onto the beach below).

Number 4. TENZING-HILLARY AIRPORT, NEPAL
Tenzing-Hillary Airport – also known as Lukla Airport – in Nepal is the prime airport for anyone who is visiting Mount Everest. The runway is surrounded on all sides by steep Himalayan terrain, with a mountain shelf on one side and a steep drop into the valley below on the other side. The airport runway is extremely short at just 1,729 ft long, although it also slopes uphill with a gradient of almost 12%, which helps planes to slow down in time.

Number 3. COURCHEVEL AIRPORT, FRANCE
While the airport at Lukla has a dangerously short runway of only 1,729 ft, the one at Courchevel Airport is even shorter at 1722 feet. This airport – which serves the exclusive ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps – drops off in a cliff as well, so pilots need to make sure they gain enough speed for takeoff if they don’t want to fall off the cliff’s edge. The runway also has a downward gradient of 18.6%, which further complicates takeoff and landing.

Number 2. JUANCHO E. YRAUSQUIN AIRPORT, SABA ISLAND
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is located approximately 45 kilometers south of Saintt Maarten, on the minuscule Dutch Caribbean island of Saba, also known as the original King Kong movie island. With a runway of only 1300 ft in total length, this makes it the world’s shortest commercial airport runway. The airport is wedged on a rocky outcrop at the foot of a mountain, with jagged terrain on one side and cliffs dropping into the sea at the other ends of the runway, so any landing here is a nerve-wracking challenge.

Number 1. PARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BHUTAN
Paro is Bhutan’s sole international airport. The tiny airport is nestled in a deep valley and surrounded by sharp peaks of up to 18,000 ft tall. Strong wind's whip through the valley, often resulting in severe turbulence. Considered the most dangerous airport in the world, flights are only allowed during daytime and under visual meteorological conditions in which pilots make their judgements by eye rather than relying on aircraft instruments.