The world's most dangerous airports for runway thrills

We look at many things when planning a trip, flights, stays, and so on, even paying attention to small details, such as what is available at the airport. But we never consider the safety and security of the airport, because that is where the adventure begins.

Landing at one of these most dangerous airports in the world will make you pray more than a roller coaster.

1. Courchevel Airport (CVF), France

This airport in France is known for having one of the shortest runways in the world, only 537 meters. People in the Alps ski, and therefore the airport is located among the mountains.

In addition to navigating these mountains, pilots must also land the plane at an acute angle to slow it down.

2. Lukla Airport (LUA), Nepal

Located in Khumbu, Soluhumbu District, Lukla Airport in Nepal was renamed Tenzing Hillary in January 2008 in honor of the first 2 people to conquer Everest.

People visiting the mountain often use this Nepalese airport. The airport has been rated the most dangerous airport in the world for more than 20 consecutive years. It is located at an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,438 meters).

The landing and runways are too short, and the airport has very little electricity and virtually no modern air traffic control.

Landing is difficult because the pilot has to navigate over hilly terrain with strong winds that reduce visibility. It is said to be the highest airport because of its location near base camp on Mount Everest, and one of the most dangerous airports in the world.

Toncontin International Airport (TGU), Honduras

Toncontin International Airport (also known as Teniente Coronel Hernán Acosta Mejía Airport) is located 6 km from the center of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It is a civilian and military airport, one of the most dangerous in the world.

In fact, a History Channel program called "The Most Extreme Airports" ranked this airport as the second most dangerous.

It is located in mountainous terrain, so the pilot has to make certain turns to avoid hitting the mountains. The runway is also quite short and you have to stop the plane abruptly.

4. Barra International Airport (BRR), Scotland

Barra International Airport is also known as Barra Eollgari Airport. It is located in Scotland on the northernmost tip of the island of Barra in Trey Mhor Bay.

The airport has a short runway. But that's not why it's unique and dangerous. It uses the beach as a runway, and the airport is the only one in the world that does.

5. Agatti Aerodrome (AGX), Lakshadweep, India

Located in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in the southern part of Agatti Island is Agatti Airport. It is the only one in Lakshadweep, serving 36 local Indian tourist islands.

The airfield is a strip of land present in blue waters. The strip is only 4,000 feet long, making for a risky landing.

6. Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong

Kai Tak was Hong Kong's international airport until 1998, when it was closed and replaced by Hong Kong International Airport.

It is one of the scariest airports, with dangerous landings and takeoffs due to the constant crosswinds, and the fact that it is surrounded by hilly terrain made it even more frightening. It also deserves a spot on the list of the most dangerous airports in the world.

7. Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), Saint Martin

Princess Juliana International Airport is the main airport on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. It is considered one of the busiest airports. Planes fly over the beach and some roads before landing.

A typical large plane requires a minimum of 8,000 feet of runway, where this airport has only 7,000, making it one of the most dangerous in the world.

8. Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), Thailand

Don Mueang International Airport is one of the 2 transnational airports serving Bangkok. It was formerly known as Bangkok International Airport.

Its distinctive feature is that the runway is located between 2 golf courses.

9. Congonhas Airport (CGH), Brazil

The city of São Paulo is served by Congonhas Airport (sometimes called São Paulo Airport) in Brazil. It is considered the second busiest airport in Brazil.

What makes the airport dangerous is the slippery runway, which has been the cause of several accidents. To avoid this, however, new runways are being built with grooves to collect excess rainwater.

10. Wellington International Airport (WLG), New Zealand

Wellington International Airport is located in the suburb of Rongotai, the capital of New Zealand. It was formerly known as Rongotai Airport. It is located 5.5 km southeast of the city center.

Wellington International Airport's runway is only 6,351 feet, and its path seems to begin and end in bodies of water.

11. Kansai International Airport (KIX), Japan

Kansai International Airport, located off the coast of Honshu, is located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, 38 km from Japan's Osaka Station.

An Italian architect named Renzo Piano designed it. The airport was built on an artificial island because land is limited in the country.

Kansai opened on September 4, 1994, to relieve overcrowding at Osaka International Airport, which is closer to the city and currently serves only domestic flights.

Kansai artificial island is 4 km long and 2.5 km wide. There are many hazards at the airport, such as earthquakes and cyclones, but these are not the only problems.

They say that in the next four to five decades, sea levels will rise because of global warming, and this will cause the airport to sink into the ocean waters.

12. Gibraltar International Airport (GIB), Gibraltar

Gibraltar International Airport is also known as North Front Airport. It is civilian and serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.

What makes it one of the most dangerous in the world is that the airstrip runs through Winston Churchill Avenue, the island's busiest road leading to the Spanish border.

Vehicles are stopped every time an airplane takes off. Consequently, there are barriers and signals to control vehicle traffic on this road.

13. Ice Runway (NZIR), Antarctica

The Antarctica Ice Runway is the main runway of the U.S. Antarctic Program. It is capable of withstanding medium to large size flights. The problem, however, is that there is no real runway.

Planes land on groomed snow and ice. They must land carefully so that cracks do not form on the paved road to avoid accidents.

14. Svalbard Airport (LYR), Norway

Longyear Airport is the main airport serving Svalbard in Norway. It is located 1.6 nautical miles (3 km) northwest of Longyear and is the northernmost in the world with scheduled flights.

The first airport near Longyear was built during World War II. The runways were built directly on thick, permanent ice. The seasonal melting of the ice requires regular repairs and maintenance of the airport.

It was completed in 1975. An overhaul was made in 1989 to solve most of the problems due to the disturbances caused by global warming.

The study shows that the phenomenon of global warming will soon lead to a serious distortion of the path, and in the future the airport will have to close.

15. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB), Saba

Juancho E. Iraskin Airport, named after their minister, is an airport on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. It has one of the shortest commercial runways in the world, just 400 meters with hills on one side and the ocean on the other.

The island really is a paradise for tourists and travelers, and they risk their lives to get here. Obviously, the small runway makes it impossible to land large flights, but it also makes small flights difficult.

16. Madeira Airport, Portugal

On the coast of the Portuguese Sea is the small island of Madeira. The airport is located 13.2 km from Funchal in Santa Cruz and is unofficially called Funchal Airport.

On March 29, 2017, it was renamed Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport in honor of the legendary footballer born on the island. The island is relatively small, so the runway was built using poles.

It was once notoriously small, but over the years it has expanded, and in 2000 the runway was 2,781 meters (9,124 feet) long, nearly double the original length. The harsh weather conditions on the island make aircraft landing and takeoff operations very dangerous.

We always plan a trip by taking into account how good the place is and what there is to see. To be honest, however, we never worry about flights.

So, start your next trip with thrills and adrenaline by heading to the world's most dangerous airports.