Watch these dangerous landings at some of the world’s scariest airports.
As if the idea of being in a 200 ton vehicle gliding above clouds isn’t scary enough, some have to do it followed or preceded by landing or takeoff from some of the world’s scariest airports. Ever since the first airplane was created, millions of people have had aviophobia, or the fear of flying in a plane.
Airplane crashes might seem usual because when they happen they make headlines, but no one praises a safe air journey. They are in fact very rare. So rare that according to statistics, the chances of being killed in an airplane crash is 1 in 29.4 million. You have more chances being struck by lightning or being killed by food poisoning.
If you are still not convinced, check out these planes landing in some of the world’s scariest airports, far less equipped than most commercial airports around the world.
Paro Airport in Bhutan
The Paro Airport in small nation of Bhutan is located 2,235 meters above sea level, in the Himalayas! It is also surrounded by peaks as high as 5,500 meters, making it one of the world’s most challenging airports. In 2009, only eight pilots in the world were qualified to fly in or out of the airport.
Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten
Even though it is one of the busiest airports in the Caribbean, the Princess Juliana International Airport is literally located on the beach. Pilots have to navigate over a short strip of beach with people laying around, sunbathing, waiting for a jet to land. To make it even scarier,it has a 2,180 meters short landingstrip, when large airplanes need at least 2,500 meters to secure a safe landing.
Ice Runway in Antarctica
The Ice Runway in Antarctica is not an actual airport in the traditional sense, neither is it a tarmac runway. The heavy airplanes landing on the Ice Runway are landing on actual ice and snow, and airplane wight need to be checked before every flight to make sure that the ice doesn’t crack. Planes visiting the airstrip have also been known to get stuck in the snow.
Lukla Airport in Nepal
The Lukla Airport in Nepal is located where most people trying to conquer Mount Everest start their journey. This tiny airport has no modern air traffic control technology, not even illuminating lights, and very limited electricity. If that is not scary enough, it operates at an elevationof 2,438 meters.
Matekane Airport in Lesotho
Not looking much like anything, the Matekane Airstrip is literally an airstrip in on a cliff in the sky. It is located high in the mountains of Lesotho, with a 400 meter short runway leading to a 600 meter drop. It is known that many airplanes don’t get airborne before reaching the end of the strip.
