Seven Most Dangerous Airports in the World

While air travel is deemed the safest mode of transportation, aerophobia or fear of flying is more common than one might think. Therefore, when the wheels finally touch the ground there is usually a sense of relief, but these airports might make you think otherwise.

Located on a tiny island off the west coast of Scotland it is probably the only airport in the world where flights land on sand, given that there is no space for an actual runway. The three triangle sand strips which are used as a runway are only five feet above sea level and completely vanish at high tide.

This airport is said to be one of the most geographically complicated ones in the world, with the airstrip located in a valley between 18,000-foot peaks, dense forest and a very short runway. Only a few dozen pilots have been specially trained to fly in and out of the airport.

Located on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba, east of the US Virgin Islands, the airport is home to the world’s shortest commercial runway which is just 400 metres. The short runway is also paired with mountain cliffs which means there is very little scope for error.

Surrounded by the country’s many fjords, this airport was built as a refuelling base for military aircraft during WWII. An elevation of just over 100 feet, this airport witnesses heavy gusts of winds from various directions not to mention the fog, which makes flying in and out of this airport quite difficult.

Only a few pilots are qualified to navigate the zig-zag journey through the peaks, including that of the world’s tallest mountain, to the airport, located in Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest. The airport also has a mere 1,700-foot, one-way airstrip, leaving very little room for error.

This airport in the French Alps provides access to one of the world’s most luxurious ski destinations. But located at an elevation of over 6,500 feet with only 1,700 feet of airstrip and low visibility levels, only a few pilots are allowed to fly in and out of it.

If you are sitting on a beach on this Caribbean island of Sint Maarten and feel a strong gust of wind, it may not always be the sea breeze, as the planes over there fly over a public beach. Additionally, it only has a 7,100-foot runway and has a low approach, which reportedly often pushes large commercial aircraft to their operating limit.