The World’s 13 Most Dangerous Airports

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, or Lukla Airport, is located 9,383 feet above sea level, surrounded by mountainous terrain.

Its short runway is 1,729 feet (it’s common to have 7,000-10,000-foot runways) and sits on the edge of a cliff, with a 2,000-foot drop on one side and a stone wall on the other. Only small planes and helicopters can land and take-off here.

The weather is highly unpredictable in the mountains, so the flights only operate in the morning.

Princess Juliana Airport

This airport on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten sits right next to a public beach.

The runway is short at 7,100 feet, with the beach on one side and mountains on the other. Aviation geeks flock to the beach to get selfies of the dramatic take-offs and landings. However, there are numerous signs that warn people to stay back.

In 2017 when a woman died due to head injuries after getting knocked over while she was standing by the fence of the airport.

Paro International Airport

What do you say about an airport that’s so difficult to navigate that only 17 pilots are allowed to land here?

Paro Airport is Bhutan’s only international airport and it is nestled in the Himalayas, 7,364 feet above sea level. Arrivals and departures are allowed only during the day and even then, pilots need to be highly skilled to keep the aircraft’s nose from rubbing on the mountains.

They maneuver the plane at a 45-degree angle and avoid cliff-top homes to make a successful descent.