The most heart-stopping runways in the world

The Sea Ice runway in Antarctica is not paved or paved. In addition, the weight of the plane could cause the ice to crack. As temperatures rise, the ice melts and planes cannot land.

The runway at Barra Airport in Scotland is located on a beach. Pilots must plan for low tide landings, as the runway disappears completely when the sea rises.

The runway at Matekane (Lesotho) is only 396 m long, with a drop of more than 600 m at the end. Taking off at Lesotho's airport is likened to a baby bird being pushed out of its nest to learn to fly.

Aside from having to fly over several active volcanoes to reach the airport at 2,800 m in Quito, Ecuador, this is one of the most challenging runways in the world, due to its urban location and steep incline. Dozens of accidents have occurred here when planes have veered off the runway.

Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten has a short runway, with one end facing the beach. Planes have to fly very low when landing, giving people on the beach a thrill.

Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, Nepal, is located at an altitude of 1,850 m above sea level and has one of the steepest runways in the world. Planes are only allowed to land and take off here during the day, when the weather is favorable.

Bhutan’s only international airport, at Paro, is 2,200 metres above sea level, surrounded by peaks of the Himalayas that rise more than 4,800 metres. Landing there is so dangerous that only a select few pilots are allowed to do it.

The windswept mountains at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the Dutch island of Saba make landings difficult. The runway is also short (about 400 meters), with one end facing the sea.

Surrounded by fjords, Greenland's Narsaruaq Airport experiences frequent turbulence and strong winds. Takeoffs and landings are only allowed during the day. Pilots must make a 90-degree turn to get onto the runway, which is especially difficult in windy conditions.

In addition to one end facing the harbor, sandwiched between the city and the high mountains, the runway of Gibraltar International Airport (British Overseas Territory) also cuts across Winston Churchill Avenue, one of the busiest streets in Gibraltar.

Madeira is considered one of the most dangerous airports in Europe, located in Portugal between rocky mountains and the deep sea. The runway is very short and often has strong winds. Pilots often have to turn right at the last minute to avoid crashing into the sea.

Qamdo Bamda Airport (Tibet, China) is no longer the highest airport in the world, but its altitude of 4,300 m above sea level makes landing here very dangerous. Therefore, Qamdo Bamda has the world's longest paved runway, about 5,470 m.

Similar to the airport in St. Maarten, the runway at St. Barths airport is only 640 m long and has one end facing a public beach that is very popular with tourists.

In France, the 545 m runway of Courchevel airport is not only very short but also very steep (18.5%), facing a deep cliff.

The ultra-short runway at Ketchikan International Airport (Alaska, USA) receives about 1,270-4,826 mm of rainfall per year, with low temperatures due to its proximity to the sea, mountains and strong winds.

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