5 scariest Airports in the World – Pilots are even afraid of flying

5 scariest Airports in the World – Pilots are even afraid of flying

FLYING can be a pretty daunting experience, with plenty of people afraid of taking to the skies.

However, there are even some airports in the world that pilots would rather not be flying into if they can help it.

Here are some of the scariest airports in the world

Here are five of the most dangerous places for pilots to land a plane on the planet.

Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten

The Dutch Caribbean island of St Maarten boasts one of the world’s most terrifying approaches for pilots.

The runway is right next to Maho Beach where plane enthusiasts visit especially to get blasted by the engines of the landing aircraft.

In 2016 bigger planes were banned from the airport and replaced by smaller ones carrying nearly half as many passengers – making hair-raising scenes of Boeing 747s skimming the beach before touching down a thing of the past.

A bystander was tragically killed at the beach recently, showing just how dangerous the runway is for both passengers and pilots.

Aviation enthusiasts visit St Maarten to visit Princess Juliana airport

Hechi Airport, China

In China’s southern Guangxi province, the Hechi airport is one of the most spectacular, as well as the most terrifying in the world.

An £80m project saw local developers flatten the tops of several mountains to lay down the 1.4 mile long runway 2,200ft above sea level.

It has a 1,000ft sheer drop on either side making any windy weather or miscalculations a scary prospect.

Hechi Airport in China was built on the top of several mountains

Barra Airport, Scotland

The Outer Hebridean Island of Barra in Scotland has a runway that literally is the beach.

Whereas Princess Juliana Airport’s planes fly just over the sea, the ones at Barra touch down on the sand.

According to Weather.com landings at the unique airport are dependent upon the seas.

They say: “At high tide the runway is completely underwater. When the runways aren’t being used for landings, the bay of Traigh Mhor is often occupied by kite surfers and cockle hunters.”

Planes can only land at Barra airport in Scotland when the tide is out

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Nepal

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla, sits 9,383ft above sea level and is commonly regarded as the most dangerous airport in the world.

It has a short runway, the winds around it frequently change speed and strength very unpredictable and the mountainous terrain nearby creates obvious risks.

What’s more, it’s at high altitude, which adds further problems with low air pressure often severely impacting the handling of a plane.

Because of all these reasons, only helicopters and small fixed-wing propellor planes are permitted to land there.

Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Nepal is commonly believed to be the most dangerous

Courchevel Airport, Courchevel, France

At 6,595ft above sea level, Courchevel Airport in France has the highest runway in Europe, making it another airport where altitude can create problems.

To make things worse for pilots, the port is also famous for having the world’s shortest runway, at 537 metres long, meaning landings have no margin for error.

As a result, only small planes and helicopters can land there.

When they do, they arrive to an audience, with skiers lining the surrounding slopes to watch the aircraft appear make the challenging approach.

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Courchevel Airport in France has the smallest runway in the world
Courchevel Airport in France has the smallest runway in the world
Meanwhile, this passenger jet had to abort a landing at the UK’s most dangerous airport.

And this pilot revealed the scary reason why turbulence can be very dangerous.

Only small aircraft are permitted to land at Tenzing-Hillary airport in Nepal