Some Of The Most Unique Airports In The World.

1. Princess Juliana International Airport

It’s also known as the Saint Maarten International Airport. Very low-altitude flyover landing approaches are one of its characteristics. This is because one end of its runway is extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach. In fact the planes go right above the people on the beach before they land, it’s scary!

Image courtesy: Lawrence Lansing(original image)

Image source: www.weirdworldwonders.com

2. Ibrahim Nasir International Airport

It’s commonly known as Male International airport. It’s located near the capital island of Male on Hulhule Island in the North Male Atoll. the airport is built on its own island and looks like a gigantic aircraft carrier from the sky.

Image source: www.transmaldivian.com

3. Tenzing-Hillary Airport

It’s also known as Lukla Airport. It’s rated as the most dangerous airport in the world, according to a program on the History Channel, ‘Most Extreme Airports’ in 2010. The airport has one of the steepest runways in the world. Aircrafts have to land uphill and depart downhill. Chances of a successful aborted takeoff or go-around are literally impossible. A 2000’ foot drop into the valley is at the Southwest while the opposite end has a rugged terrain. It’s also famous for being the starting point for any one climbing Mt. Everest.

Image courtesy: Jeremy Broomfield(taken from)

4. Paro Airport

Located 6km from Paro, in a deep valley found on the banks of river Paro Chuu, Paro airport is Bhutan’s only international airport. It’s considered one of the most challenging airports due to the surrounding peaks that are as high as 18,000 ft. As of October 2009, landing at the airport was only certified to eight pilots. Flights are restricted from sunrise to sunset (daylight hours) and can only be done under visual meteorological conditions.

Image courtesy: Douglas J. McLaughlin(taken from)

5. Kansai International Airport

Found in Osaka Bay, Japan, Kansai International Airport is 1.6 miles wide and 2.5 miles long. It’s entirely offshore on a manmade island. The airport is so big that it can be seen from space.

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6. Gibraltar International Airport

The airport has very little space that its runway goes through the busiest road in the district, the Winston Churchill Avenue. The airport serves only flights to and from the UK. To prevent collisions when planes are taking off, gates are closed so that cars don’t cross the runway.

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7. Ice Runway, Antartica

It’s used during the summer Antarctic field season by the US Antarctic Program. This is due to its closeness to the McMurdo station. Its runway can handle giant planes. The annual sea-ice runway gets constructed every start of season and used till the ice begins to break up in early December. Pilots report that the runway is as stable as landing on concrete.

Image courtesy: mcmurdotimes

Image courtesy: George Steinmetz, Corbis, National Geographic

8. Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport

It’s 3,236m above sea level making it one of the highest airports worldwide. Flights can only take off and land in the morning due to mountain winds in the afternoon. Passengers have to be at the airport two hours before departure to provide adequate time for security. Security checks are paramount in this airport due to terrorism problems.

Image courtesy: caffeineAM(fkickr)

9. Courchevel Airport, France

A strip of tarmac, 1,700 ft, that is located 6,000 ft above sea level, serves as the airport. It’s on a slope on the French Alps in the town of Courchevel. The runway rises uphill in a bizarre way then dips dangerously downhill. No instrument approach procedures are available when landing, which makes it very tricky during low clouds and fog. It also appeared on ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, the James Bond movie.

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10. Agatti Aerodrome, Lakshadweep, India

It’s surrounded by the Indian Ocean and is 4,000 ft long. It’s the only airport in Lakshadweep, India. The short runway presents a lot of danger and proposals to extend it have been made.

Image source: www.kerala-tourism-guide.com

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