The Ten Craziest Airports In The World

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You haven't really lived until you've landed at one of these airports.


10.) Kansai International Airport

Location: Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Problem: You don't have enough room to build an airport on the mainland. Solution: Build one on a manmade island to the tune of $20 Billion.

Suggested By: Jeremy Overholster, Photo Credit: Nasa Earth Observatory


9.) Princess Juliana International Airport

Location: St. Martin

The runway is quite literally across the street from a public beach, making for some of the most insane approaches you'll ever see. Get out of the water when a plane is coming.

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Suggested By: Titan-E34, Photo Credit: Lawrence Lansing


8.) Toncotín International Airport

Location: CA-5, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Just watch this approach video. You won't be impressed at first, then you'll be screaming "holy shit!" at your screen, endearing yourself to everyone around you in the process.

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Suggested By: TheStigsGermanCousin, Photo Credit: Oscar Josué Elvir Vasquez


7.) Catalina Airport

Location: Avalon, California, USA

Known as the "Airport In The Sky" since it's at the top of the Catalina Island, this airport mainly services DC-3s delivering supplies to the island. The runway rises in the middle, so pilots can't see where it ends, and there's a cliff just after.

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Not for the faint of heart.

Suggested By: jvbftw, Photo Credit: Michael Lorincz via YouTube


6.) Gustaf III Airport

Location: St. Jean, St. Barthélemy

Notice that beautiful beach at the end of the runway? Yeah, people crash into it. Oh, and it's a public beach where people sunbathe right near the runway.

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Suggested By: dr861, Photo Credit: James Rowson


5.) Barra Airport

Location: Eoligarry, Isle of Barra HS9 5YD, United Kingdom

Like most airports, Barra (aka Cockle Strand) has things like an air traffic control tower, a fire truck, and other such luxuries. What they lack is a paved runway; instead, you intentionally land on the beach.

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Still though, it's supposedly one of the most beautiful approaches in the world.

Suggested By: E91Ed, Photo Credit: calflier001


4.) Narsarsuaq Airport

Location: Narsarsuaq, Greenland

The approach is incredibly beautiful, since you're flying through the mountains, but also incredibly dangerous because of those mountains and the fact that there's a river right at the end of the runway.

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Suggested By: hmb15, Photo Credit: jtstewart


3.) Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla)

Location: Lukla, Chaurikharka V.D.C. 56010, Nepal

This is the airport where you'd land if you were going to attempt a summit of Mt. Everest, and the airport is appropriately dangerous.

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Designed by Edmund Hillary himself, Tenzing-Hillary is frequently cited as being one of the most dangerous on earth for very good reason.

Suggested By: Kaufmania, rolls with the back seat down pretending its a shooting brake, Photo Credit: Allan Grey

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2.) Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport

Location: Saba, Caribbean Netherlands

Yrausquin has the shortest commercial runway in the world at just 1,300 feet (!), and it ends with a goddamn cliff.

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Suggested By: mparker130, Photo Credit: Pia L


1.) Courchevel Altiport

Location: Courchevel Airport (CVF), Rue de l'Altiport, 73120, France

Courchevel is right in the middle of the French Alps, which would make it crazy enough as it is, but to make it even more insane the runway isn't anything close to flat.

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Arrivals and departures are both terrifying and amazing.

Suggested By: JayHova, Photo Credit: Hugues Mitton

Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

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Top Photo Credit: Aurimas