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World’s most dangerous runways that might make you hate air travel

Barra Airport, Scotland

Airports are used to simplify the purpose of traveling or goods transfer. To make a flight take off and land safely, the airport should be equipped with updated technologies. The airport is supposed to provide the flight more security than a pilot. Pilots opine that taking off and landings are the most challenging task in flying a plane. However, they expect the airport should be supportive enough for a safe take off and landing. If the condition of the airport does not suit safe operation for a plane, no pilot can help the plane being crashed. There are many aspects that invite danger for a plane. Mountain cliffs, cliff faces, and crowded beaches may play the foul play when the plane takes off or lands. However, there are many airports worldwide that are believed to be unsafe for the planes because of their geographical location, or design.

Let us discuss few of those airports, which are still believed to be dangerous to take off or land a plane.

  • Tenzing –Hillary Airport, Nepal

Tenzing-Hillary airport was previously known as Lukla airport. To honor the first Everest climber, the airport was later renamed. This airport serves thousands of people who aspire to touch the tip of the Everest and the trekkers wishing to visit Mount Everest. The most dangerous aspects of this airport include high winds and cloud cover. These are never favorable for a flight to take off or land safely. The high mountain terrain at the front end and the steep 2000 feet cliff edge at the end of a 1500 feet runway also make the airport scary for any pilot. At this airport, only small planes and helicopters can be operated smoothly. Due to its runway size and risk involved in operation, huge flights cannot be operated from this airport. However, in spite of following all the safety measures, many planes have faced accidents here.

  • Princess Juliana International Airport, West Indies

Princess Juliana International Airport is also known as Saint Martin International Airport as it is located in the Saint Martin Island. This airport mostly serves the Dutch side of the island. The location of the airport is considered dangerous by the pilots because it is located very near to a tourist site, which is a sea beach. The runway of the airport starts just after the beach, which signifies the danger to the tourists during the jet blasts of the plane as it may hamper the tourists. However, the location and design makes the airport very popular among the plane spotters as the planes can be seen pretty well during takeoff or landing.

  • Congonhas Airport, Brazil

Congonhas Airport is also known as Sao Paulo Airport. It is located in Brazil. The most dangerous aspect of this airport is its runways. The runways of this airport are very slippery and have become the main cause of many accidents till date. The design of the runways accommodates rain water in it and this proves to be fatal for any plane. The surrounding locality of this airport is densely populated and this creates many difficulties in the operation of the air busses. So the airport authority has reduced the number of incoming flights to this airport. To use the runway safely, the airport authority has also advised to reduce the allowable weight during flying.

  • Barra Airport, Scotland

Barra Airport, Scotland

Barra Airport is an international airport in Scotland having a short runway. This airport is located on a beach called Traigh Mhor. This airport is the only airport to use a sandy beach as its runway. This airport has three runways and each is marked with wooden poles. The runways are used based on the direction of the wind. This airport is also dangerous because all the three runways get submerged during high tides in the sea. So the flight schedules need to be adjusted according to the possibilities of the high tides. Barra Airport cannot be used at night. However, during some emergency landings, the light of the plane helps in landing of the plane.

  • Kansai International Airport, Japan

Kansai International Airport is situated on a three kilometers island connected by a bridge to the bays of Osaka, Japan. This airport is considered one of the most dangerous airports all over the world because of its location, climate changes, and unstable sea bed. Though the construction of this airport is one of the highly engineered one, it does not guarantee security for the planes or passengers. The airport is believed to get submerged in water in next 50 years as the whole island is manmade.

  • Gibraltar Airport

Gibraltar Airport is also called North Front Airport. It serves the British Overseas territory of Gibraltar. This airport is situated just 15 kilometers above the sea level. The 6000 feet long runway of this airport is the aspect of concern as it is also open to public transportation vehicles and foot traffic.

  • Juancho E Yrausquin Airport

This airport is located on the Saba Island in the Caribbean. This airport is probably the most challenging place to work for a pilot. The airport is surrounded by cliffs and a section of the runway is steep and sloped. The runway leads directly to the ocean too. A minor human error may result in a horrible accident here. So it is considered to be one of the dangerous airports.

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