Airports are like comfortable couches where you can relieve stress, spend time alone opting for privacy, observe people keenly, or admire whatever is on display. 

There is relentless work that goes on to maintain airports. We ignore the surroundings when we spend time at an airport, but there is a world that goes on, and we usually don’t give the respect it deserves and consider the matter too lightly. 

The technical aspect of landing an airplane at an airport runway is usually mesmerizing for a pilot and the traveler, and the traveler is mostly in awe. However the technicality of landing an aircraft is underrated, and it is explicit enough that the pilot has to be meticulous with their skill. 

Landing an airplane is arduous because not all airports are as large as we would want. 

Letting go of someone you get attached to is hard, but you do it without a choice. In the same way - the pilot has to land the aircraft at an airport, whether easy or difficult because people’s lives and the flow of their travels depend on it. 

With fewer facilities and options, let’s discover the top 5 most difficult airports for pilots.  

The List

1. Tenzing - Hillary Airport
2. Paro International Airport
3. Gibraltar International Airport
4. Courchevel Altiport
5. Princess Juliana International Airport

1.Tenzing - Hillary Airport

The Tenzing–Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is a domestic airport in Lukla, Nepal.

Climbing Mount Everest is a benchmark for adventurers and trekkers but they also have to go through the peril of reaching there through the Tenzing – Hillary Airport. This airport gained worldwide fame as it was rated the most dangerous airport in the world for over 20 years by a program titled Most Extreme Airports, broadcast on The History Channel. It is nestled at an elevation of 2,846 meters above sea level, between the rugged Himalayan mountains with high winds, low visibility, and cloud cover. 

The airport has a single 527-meter-long asphalt runway. The airport is also used for transporting most of the building materials and cargo to Lukla and nearby towns and villages as there is no road to this region. In January 2008, the airport was renamed in honor of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first people confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, and also to mark their efforts, in the construction of this airport.

2. Paro International Airport

Welcome to Bhutan! You can put on some peaceful music, indulge in some mindfulness, and reflect on some thoughts as you are about to enter the happiness zone, because Bhutan is often referred to as the ‘Land of Happiness’ But to reach happiness, one has to cross a treacherous path, and the path is -  The Paro International Airport in Bhutan, a small airport, located in the valley town of Paro – surrounded by lush green mountains and small homes that look like hidden gems. Only a handful of Pilots are trained to fly in and out of this category C airport – which requires specific pilot training because of the rough approach.

 With an elevation of 2,235 meters above sea level, the airport comfortably sits in the middle of two 5,500-meter-high mountain peaks. The airport has a single 2,265-meter-long asphalt runway. The arrivals and departures are only allowed in the day, that too, with good visibility, the aircraft must navigate between the mountains and over homes before making a curve to get to the runway because if the pilot even misses an inch, they could land on top of someone’s home. Landing at the Paro International Airport is a skill of high caliber and requires courage as solid as the mountains.

3. Gibraltar International Airport

With a runway size of 1,776 meters long and water on both sides, landing at Gibraltar International Airport is not only tricky but scary because the runway cuts through a busy street, so the road has to be closed off every time a plane arrives or takes off, and the pilot has to hit the break the moment they touchdown. The airport is situated next to the Rock of Gibraltar and is exposed to strong cross winds making the landings at the airport in winter challenging.
 

4. Courchevel Airport

Think about a nice winter getaway, pack your warm clothes, and imagine all the activities such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing and when the day ends, you can relax with a drink next to the fireplace. You can do all of it at Courchevel – a French Alps ski resort located in the Tarentaise Valley, a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. But to get here, you have to witness a trial adrenaline session while landing at the Courchevel Altiport, located 2,008 meters above sea level. 

The runway is only 537 meters long, with a gradient of 18.6%. The pilot has to be precise with their skill because there is no go-around procedure for landings at the airport. The terrain is rough and demands the utmost concentration from the pilot. The pilots must have special qualifications, including passing a test by a mountain flight instructor and keeping up their rating by flying there at least once every six months.

5. Princess Juliana International Airport

With the beach on one side and mountains on the other, Princess Juliana Airport began as a US military airstrip in 1942 during World War II. The airport is located on the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin with a runway that is 2300 meters long and is a beautiful spot for aviation geeks to click intricate photos of the airplanes landing and taking off. There are signs in the area instructing people to not stand near the fence of the airport because of the dangerous air blasts. A woman from New Zealand reportedly died because of the jet blast at the airport in 2017. While taking photos of the planes on the beach next to the airport might invigorate someone, it might become a matter of life and death.